


Do It Again

by NobodyWillLoveYouLikeIDo



Category: Naruto
Genre: Crack, DONT TAKE THIS TOO SERIOUSLY, F/F, F/M, Foul Language, Gender Issues, Gender or Sex Swap, Horrible Character, M/M, Mentions of Rape, Morally Ambiguous Character, Multi, Other, Slight Transphobia, Triggers, kind of evil OC
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-12-21
Updated: 2016-06-08
Packaged: 2018-05-08 01:42:21
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 9
Words: 41,216
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5478641
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/NobodyWillLoveYouLikeIDo/pseuds/NobodyWillLoveYouLikeIDo
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Hashimoto Kimiko is "reborn" into the Naruto-verse. Instead of being excited for getting a second chance in life, she's shocked, confused, and a little disappointed because: she's inserted into the story...as a boy!<br/>*Will go up in rating in later chapters.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Recognize

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I want you, to turn up on me  
> Every night when I see you  
> Better recognize when I see you

A swipe of the doe foot applicator on her lips topped off the rest of her makeup. Puckering her lips together, Hashimoto Kimiko smiled at the mirror as she made a sultry face.

After dusting some lint off her body con dress she stepped out of her door and into the neon-lit night.

Little did she know that just three meters off into an alley near her complex was a grease-stained man, waiting with a knife and ill intentions of greed and lust.

Still, Hashimoto Kimiko strutted off with a gentle sway of her womanly curves and the _click_ _clack_ of her blood-red heels.

That evening, in the haze of Tokyo’s fervent nightlife, Hashimoto Kimiko was raped and murdered in an alley near her home.

A body was never found.

* * *

I woke up screaming.

Screaming and screeching and pulling at a phantom of filth and fear.

A door from some far off place slammed open and two people had rushed to my side. One immediately grabbed at my shoulders and answered my own yells with their own.

“Hiroki! Hiroki, wake up!” The voice, manly and deep in baritone, ordered me.

Seeing as I made no signs of stopping a third hand, from the other person in the room, reached out and slapped me across my face. It was harsh but quick, made by delicate fingers.

“Tsuki, you didn't need to do that.” The man, the one whose large hands were still on my shoulders, sighed out.

The stinging in my cheek pulled me from my delusions and forced me to blink away the tears that were an automatic response to the woman’s hit.

“It's the fifth time he’s woken up screaming.” The woman, Yuki, hissed back. Her voice was cool and sharp, measured but obviously straining. “What is _wrong_ with our boy, Hibiki?”

I swallowed a lump in my throat as I shook the hands off me. My eyes were still puffy, and most likely blazing red, but I still wanted to see who had slapped me.

Me! A full grown woman! As if I was some sniveling brat!

“Why’d you hit me.” I spat out. My voice was still a little hoarse from the screaming match earlier.

The two, a man and woman, turned to me. The man was large and muscled, probably from lifting and going to the gym.

 _Just my type_ , I thought shamelessly.

He had light brown hair, a pair of similar colored eyes. All in all, pretty unremarkable if not for his physique.

The woman, however, was exotically colored. Pale almost translucent skin, lengthy lilac hair that draped across her back like a curtain, and her _eyes_ were a soulless black. Like a void, if I was making comparisons.

I didn't have long to wonder about the strangers’ color pallette because I was soon coughing and sputtering out different syllables and vowels.

“Ah, ah, ah.” I grasped at my chest, which was definitely not filled out with that C-cup implants I got last month. “Buh, buh, buh.”

My voice sounded like a prepubescent little boy, I concluded.

I was growing more and more alarmed as several more inconsistencies with my body fell into place.

I felt small. Everywhere. My hands were tiny and pale, no fake tan in sight. No boobs, no hips, and my legs were probably only 40 centimeters long.

My hair ( _my hair!_ ) was only at my nape and riddled with split ends. I could feel the split ends tickling my ears and neck!

Everything was small and worst of all I felt something between my legs. My blood ran cold at just what that _something_ might be and I reached for my shorts.

Tsuki caught one of my wrists just as I was about to pull the fabric down.

“Just what do you think you're doing, young man?” She narrowed her eyes at me disapprovingly.

Next to her, Hibiki shook his head and said, with a small smile, “Boys will be boys, Tsuki. He probably had a nightmare about losing his pe-”

A glare shot at him from the lilac haired woman.

“His willy. Right, Hiroki-kun?” He laughed awkwardly.

I opened my mouth and closed it, over and over until I looked like a fish. I just didn't know what to say first.

So I decided to say them all.

“Who the fuck are you people?”

“Why do I have a dick?”

“Where am I?!”

 _ **Smack**_!

My head was turned to the side as the woman's spindly, sharp fingers slapped me across the face again. This time, it was the other cheek. Didn't know whether I should be grateful she decided to spare my still throbbing left cheek by hitting the other one, though.

“Language, young man! I swear, he gets his foul mouth from your father!” The offending owner of the hand chastised her, apparent, husband. Maybe boyfriend?

Rubbing both my sore cheeks, I shot them both accusing stares. They haven't answered a single question.

“That's enough excitement for the morning, don't cha think?” Hibiki laughed awkwardly, trying to dispel some of the tension in the air.

“Now, Hiroki-kun, get dressed and come down for breakfast when you’re done. Me and your mother have work so we can't stay for long.”

With one final look from _mother_ , a pointed one that told me to behave, the two left and closed the door.

 _They didn't even make a noise as they closed the door_ , I thought. _I can't even hear their footsteps._

So, those two were dear old Mom and Dad. I was their son, of all things, and I can't deny it since as soon as they left I lifted up the band of my shorts to stare at the little thing between my legs.

A boy. Right.

Which only added to my disgust at checking out Hibi- my father. Yuck.

This was a little family made of Tsuki, Hibiki, and Hiroki-kun. I was Hiroki-kun, as being affectionately called by my father (or “young man” as called by my mother, affectionately or not).

What the ever loving **_fuck_**?

This can't be some fever dream, my skin felt too real and that slap from the child-hitter hurt like a real one would have.

Is this the afterlife? I had died, I knew that. That filthy, pus-filled bastard had done _that_ thing to me and then stabbed me.

Repeatedly, again and again, in the chest with a small knife he probably used to pick his toenails with.

So much for an afterlife, though, if you counted being put into some little boy’s body and placed with a slap-happy mom.

Or maybe this was Hell? A punishment for all the sins I've committed?

Sure, I ran red lights regularly when I drove, opened up makeup in the drugstore to try them, and I didn't even tip most of the time.

But _this_? Was this the punishment for doing all that (which I honestly know is not the nicest thing to do but I wouldn't consider it “bad”).

I clicked my tongue and shook my head, adjusting the shorts as I went over my options.

If it's a dream, a really deep and twisted one it seems, maybe if I died or killed myself I would wake up?

Then again, those two slaps really fucking hurt and I don't know if dying will be any less painful. Past _experience_ has told me death is not a very pleasant thing to endure.

If this was a punishment, then…

Holy shit did I get off lucky.

I grinned wolfishly, a grin that probably looked misplaced on a child’s face.

Knowing myself, I’ll admit that I was a two-faced, emotionally manipulative bitch in my lifetime- the first one, that is. A compulsive liar, to boot.

So getting a second crack at life wasn’t _too_ bad, for it certainly could have gotten worse. I'm now biologically male, for all that I can see physically at least, and I may only be like five but gender was always one’s own choosing and I can get older.

 _Wasn't I dreading getting older than twenty five anyways? I can be an eighteen year old bombshell again_ , I thought giddily.

With a new outlook on life- this life- I threw my blanket off of me and went to get dressed.

 

* * *

 

I was wearing a simple, black shirt and loose-fitting jogging pants. They were both a little big for me, obviously intended for me to use as I got older.

As I skipped down the stairs and made my way into the kitchen, which I assumed only because I followed the smell of food down there, I faced my two “parents” again.

“Sit down, young man, your father already made breakfast. We need to discuss something with you.” Tsuki waved me over.

I sat in the middle of the two who were at the ends of the square table, both having eaten some of their food already.

My lips pursed a little as I examined the two with trepidation. We were having our first “talk” and I didn't know nearly enough to lie to them if they asked me any deep, personal questions.

“If anything’s troubling you, you know you can always talk with _Tou-san_ and _Kaa-san._ ” Hibiki started, after getting a look from his wife.

Said wife continued, “You have been getting night terrors almost consecutively every night for the past week. Please,” She said, with a tone more sincere than I’ve heard her in yet.

“Just tell us what is wrong, Hiroki-kun.”

My eyes- which were, thankfully, a normal dark brown- glanced at the two adults. They looked exactly as they had earlier but now they adorned a shiny, metal headband across both their foreheads.

 _Konoha ninja_ , my mind clicked.

Unless they were hardcore cosplayers, there was no way they could be wearing that with a straight face as they asked their supposedly disturbed son why he wakes up screaming in the morning.

Maybe this was more of a punishment than a second chance than I had previously thought.

“I was scared because I had nightmares of you two being ninja and…” I trailed off ominously, lying through my teeth. I wanted to see what they’d say after calling them ninja.

“Don’t worry, son, me and your mother are still on leave and are only doing desk duty at the Mission Room.” Hibiki tried to console.

“Even when we go back to the field, I promise that me and your father will always come back to you.” Tsuki gave her own consolation.

Both had taken the bait. They were both active-duty ninja of Konoha, then.

Does that mean I'm in the world of Naruto? I’ll admit I was a flaming nerd when I was younger, obsessed with anime and manga. I’d cosplay characters since I thought I’d look good and was further fueled by the air-headed compliments given to me online.

Thinking back, it probably made me the person who I was today: a self-centered, vain hoe.

At least I was somewhat proud of what I'd become, far from the sheltered recluse I once was.

“Promise?” I looked up at _Mom_ through my lashes- which were surprisingly long and lilac colored like my hair, something I obviously took after Tsuki. If they were ninja, then I got my work cut out for me since if I was any less of the liar I am, they would've caught on to my act.

I could only wonder at the things ninja did to their children if they were acting “different from normal”.

Probably a trip to T&I would've been justified.

“Promise.” The two answered in unison, a small smile graced Tsuki’s delicate features while a large grin fell on Hibiki’s.

 _For all of their clashing looks and personalities, they look like a good couple_ , I confessed.

I decided then to give my own smile, as sincere as I could (which wasn't very much). The two accepted it anyway, hearts warming at seeing their son smiling again.

“Now eat your breakfast before you run off to the academy.” _Dad_ said jovially.

“If Iruka-sensei tells me that you were late again, you will be grounded, you hear?” _Mom_ added, slight fondness crept into her stern tone.

A child’s smile did wonders for adults, it seems.

* * *

I walked down the large, dirt-paved road that our house was situated across.

 _I really was in Konoha, in all its Hokage-mountained glory_ , I thought as I looked up at the face of Hashirama and friends.

Looking down, I was wearing those ninja sandals like my parents did, obviously smaller to fit my feet. It was weird having something to securely strapped to your feet and ankles like that.

How old was I even? Probably six, since kids joined the academy here around that age. I wouldn't know until my next birthday then, or until I get to see a record of mine at a hospital.

I let out a sigh as I looked at the various other houses, random shops and food stalls that dotted the main road.

 _I wish I was reborn somewhere in Kiri_ , the thought went through my head as I saw old women gossiping and younger children playing, _None of this nice-guy bullshit, only blood and war._

I’d like to think that these violent thoughts could have been attributed to the increased testosterone in me because of my biological sex change, but I'll admit to being a little bloodthirsty even in my first life.

I worked as a prostitute and stripper off and on when I was short on cash and there were many incidents where a bitch tried it or a customer crossed some lines and needed to be reminded that I wasn't going to let them get away with it.

Hell, I'm pretty sure I clawed out _that_ bastard’s eyeballs as he jumped me.

 _I hope that they dangled right out of his empty, little head_ , I cursed.

A group of small children ran past me, laughing and barefoot.

I had given myself a good look in the mirror again before heading out. I had the same shade of hair as my mother, a light purple like the first swellings of a bruise. It wasn't stiff straight like hers, instead a bit on the wavy side, taking after my father’s short, curly locks.

I'm still grateful that I didn't inherit those dark pits of eyes from Tsuki, but getting something in between the two parents: a dark brown that bordered closer to black than brown, really.

My skin was also the exact same as Mom’s, pale and translucent to the point you could see my green-toned veins in my hands. I was like an off shade of paper white, almost like that one kid who was a replacement Sasuke for Team 7. What was his name, Sa-... sa-... Sai?

Yeah, whatever.

It’s been a few years since I even looked at anything even Naruto related, getting my hustle in and all that, so my memory was foggy at best right now. Until I knew where I was in the timeline in terms of the plot, I was free balling it.

Unsurprisingly, being at the mercy of Kishimoto’s universe put me at unease. I didn't like being out of control.

I reached the Academy in time- by way of faintly remembering the layout of Konoha- judging by all the kids still walking into the place.

I sat in the back and hoped that no one would bother me. Me being a child I could handle since I still had the competency of an adult.

Real children who had the social and emotional maturity of their age however, was something that would get on my nerves. Fast.

Luckily it seemed Hiroki, or the boy this body once belonged to, wasn't a very social kid.

Everyone had taken their seats but there were still two empty ones on either side of me. No one’s even met my gaze despite me looking at everyone who came through the door.

Weird.

Either Hiroki-...Either I wasn't liked much or didn't have friends or had some secret that made me a pariah like Naruto. I only hoped it was, at worse, just the first two.

Looking around, it guess I’m at that point in time where Naruto and his gang are still a bunch of brats living through their depressing childhoods. Same age as them, then.

The closest one to me was Hinata who stared at Naruto. Said blonde was arguing with Kiba while Shikamaru and Chouji sat near them.

Sasuke was brooding on one of the end tables and most of the girls were surrounding him, including Sakura and Ino.

I mentally huffed at the idiocy those two were committing as they grinded their heads together, challenging the other for Sasuke’s affections.

They deserved better than that Uchiha. Even if he “redeems” himself later- _much_ later, mind you- he still seemed like an ass to me.

Then a mischievous thought came to me: they need someone who’ll treat them right, someone chivalrous and sensitive and who better than...me!

I bit down a smirk, knowing that it'd look creepy as hell coming from the kid sitting alone, as Iruka came in and took attendance. I caught him giving me a pointed look as he called my name, “Kuroda Hiroki.”

 _Great I have the same name as the baseball player from Osaka_ , I grumbled in my head.

Unless there were two Hirokis in the class, I answered with a, “Here!”

Alright, it was a dick move of me to try to emotionally manipulate the girls into liking me but I wasn't going to make them do anything. Just take their minds off of Sasuke is all...

By the time lunch time came, I had a plan ready to go.

We were ushered out into some yard and everyone gathered into their own little circles and cliques.

I plastered on my most charming smile, pushed my shoulders back, and stood straight as I approached the two girls who were conveniently arguing on their own apart from the group.

At this age, girls like pretty and cute things. From my observations and prodding this morning, I deemed myself pretty and cute. For a “boy” at least. Long lashes, pale skin, and a symmetrical face that would certainly grow into something breathtaking, I concluded, if my parents were anything to go by.

“Hi.” I greeted the two who were currently holding the other by the collar.

Blonde and pink heads snapped to my direction. After glancing at me for a few seconds, and seemingly meeting a mark, the two girls’ attitudes did a 180 and both were giving their biggest and brightest smiles.

I returned with my own charming smile which was met with deep crimson blushes.

 _Caught you_ , my mind sang.

“I’m Kuroda Hiroki. I don't think we've actually met.” Kuroda was now my surname, something I had to get used to. At least it wasn't something cliche like Hatake, pfft.

It was Ino who spoke up first, “No! Not really! I mean, I should have known if a cute boy was in our class,” She trailed off in a quiet voice before continuing.

“But I'm glad to meet you! I'm Yamanaka Ino.” She reached out a hand for me to shake before Sakura jumped in front of her and effectively cock-blocked her in the process. I held back a snort of amusement.

“And I’m Haruno Sakura! I've seen you around, Hiroki-kun,” She sneered behind her.

“I was just a little shy, you see.” The pinkette looked up at me as she tilted her head down and put her hands together in front of her which was, I think, supposed to be a cute and dainty pose.

Ino was having none of it.

“Yeah right, billboard brow! Your eyes were stuck on Sasuke-kun like gorilla glue!” She screeched.

Sakura’s face immediately morphed and faced off with the blonde, “Shut up, Ino-pig! Your eyes were glued to Sasuke-kun, too, idiot!”

The two were back to grinding heads and as much as I'd like to laugh at their scene, I had a plan to execute.

“Now, now. I know you two really like Uchiha-san, but I was just wondering if you’d like to eat lunch with me this afternoon?” I grabbed both girls’ hands with my own.

“I brought more than enough to share, even.”

The girls looked at where we were joined at the hands as they flushed tomato red with each passing second.

Just to push them a little bit more, I added, “Please?” And gave their hands a little squeeze.

By the time lunch was over, I had the two girls wrapped around my little finger and promising to meet up with me after class. They weren’t all too bad when they were just trying to kiss up to me. I really liked compliments and praises after all, no matter how fake or shallow they may be.

Just as we went back inside the Academy, I could have sworn I saw Sasuke give me the smallest of nods.

This time, I allowed a smirk to climb onto my face as I felt my credibility rise up. Better to make friends with the backstabbing idiot now while he’s still harmless.

* * *

Sakura ran home with a happiness she didn't possess since the day Ino had befriended her. Her pink locks bounced with each hop and skip, her red dress flowing with the breeze.

By the time she got home her cheeks, still full with baby fat, were flushed rosy red because of The Boy and also in part of the physical exertion she normally didn't do.

The Boy was the second person to have noticed her and give her attention, and for that she finds herself utterly _obsessed_.

“Sakura-chan, is that you?” Her mother called from the kitchen.

The pinkette removed her shoes before running off to greet her mother and wrapping her in a hug.

“Kaa-chan! You won't believe it but this boy was talking to me during lunch and he was so nice and cute and I think I'm in love!” Sakura gushed, head still buried in her mother’s side.

Haruno Mebuki smiled at her daughter’s confession. She was a civilian woman but still took Sakura’s desire of being a kunoichi in stride.

However, after hearing about her daughter’s infatuation with the Uchiha boy, she’s always felt anxious for Sakura. The Hokage couldn't keep the entire annihilation of a founding clan secret from civilians, anyways.

Mebuki knew it wasn't right to hold even slight disdain for the remaining Uchiha (and some creeping fear because children always follow in the footsteps of their family, right?) but she’d hoped that Sakura would get over him and focus her sights on other boys.

“What’s this boy’s name, Sakura-chan?”

“Kuroda Hiroki!” The pinkette answered readily.

Other boys that hold special clan names except for Uchiha and hold some political power. Like the Hyuuga, or the Kuroda.

Haruno Mebuki couldn't help the all-out smile that covered her face. She always knew her daughter had good taste, one that would benefit herself _and_ her clan.

“Very good, Sakura-chan.” The older woman petted the top of her daughter’s head gently, praising her for gaining the attention of the only son of the Kuroda clan.

“Very good.”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My ankles sprained and in all my hateful glory of losing mobility of a limb, once more, I decided to write a Crack-fic about a shitty character and their shitty luck.  
> I was about to tag this as a Self-Insert story, but I hesitate since Kimiko is just such a terrible character (though I guess I am too since Kimiko's largely based off of myself?).  
> If you think my OC is horrible and this story is horrible, then that's because it is! It's not a "nice" romance like ATDTD is, but something for me to vent and wreak havoc in the world of Naruto with a character who is morally grey and suffering gender issues.  
> Anyways, besides wanting to flame me for writing about a slightly transphobic topic like gender-swapping, I'd like to hear your feedback on this story since I'd like to continue writing it along with ATDTD (which I am NOT abandoning!).  
> Thanks for reading!


	2. Bad Intentions

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I've got some damn bad intentions  
> I got some secrets I forgot to mention  
> Haven't learned my lesson

After saying goodbye to the girls, and any other person who looked my way, I headed home. I followed the same route that I took to get here and in less than twenty minutes I stood in front of the large house that I should, and would, have to call home.

It was much larger than most of the houses I've seen along the way, in the more nicer houses at the shinobi district (which I concluded after seeing the various ninja coming in and out of the nearby homes and complexes).

I set myself out to figure out more of my “family” history later on tonight, since mother seemed far too unique looking to be a common ninja.

Especially when she gave off an air of the elite around her.

“I’m home!” I yelled out after shucking my sandals off.

“Welcome back.” Came the cool tone of my _new_ mother.

I followed her voice until I was in a room that looked much like an office. Stacks of paperwork were piled around as bookcases lined the walls. Tsuki was hunched over a table, scribbling furiously on an already ink ridden sheet of paper.

My eyes wandered around more, taking in the smaller details of the room like escape exits and fire hazards as I waited patiently for her to finish her work.

A sigh came out of her lips before putting the ink brush down. She placed both hands on the table (subconsciously showing that she's without weapons?) before turning to me.

“How was your school work today, Hiroki-kun?” She breathed out. Faint creases along her brow told me she must have brought home her work and it wasn't some agenda she was filling out earlier.

“It was really good. I made two new friends.” I started carefully, not wanting to come off as too excited since she looked like she didn't want some kid screaming at her right now.

Even if it was her own.

“I am glad to hear that.” She smiled tiredly at me anyway, though her voice hinted that she was silently relieved that her _quiet_ boy was breaking out of his shell. “What are their names?”

“Yamanaka Ino and Haruno Sakura.” At the first name, the lilac haired woman widened her eyes incrementally.

It took a bit for her to collect her thoughts, apparently not one to stammer or stutter.

“...They are nice girls.” She decided to to say.

 _If you're voice could go anymore monotone, I'd actually start worrying for you, Mom_ , I thought, amused at her expense.

I knew that she wouldn't have expected me to befriend two girls, let alone one whose father was the head of T&I. It's why I particularly said Ino’s name first, to judge her reaction.

From what I could tell, Mother Dear knew exactly who she was, or at least Inoichi.

“Yeah! They really are! I offered to share some of my lunch by the way.” I shyly confessed, pulling off the abashed school child look pretty well if I do say so myself.

“That is fine, Hiroki-kun. Just remember to eat your own lunch.”

Just as she was about to dismiss me, I raised my own voice, “Kaa-san, do you mind if I look through our clan records? I want to know more about it since so many of the other kids wear their clan symbols.”

At my request, the lilac haired woman darted her eyes around the room, looking for something.

Strange.

“The other kids should be _none_ of your concern when relating to our clan, young man.” She bit out, her words terse and reminiscent of the way she spoke that morning.

“If you would truly like to learn about our clan history, ask me again at another time. It's far too late for it, since our clan goes back to quite a few generations. There is still work for me to do as well.” She readjusted herself into her seat, picking up the ink brush once more before shifting only her eyes at me.

Pitch black darkness met deep chocolate depths.

“Make sure you eat dinner. Your father stored the leftovers in the fridge.”

* * *

By the time Dad came home, the sun had already set, I'd eaten dinner and just finished the worksheets Iruka had given to our class as homework.

Mainly just a review sheet that went over the various forms of chakra and its practical uses.

When you've watched people create pocket dimensions and summon giant snakes though, learning the technical aspect of using chakra to dust off dirt was grew to be _very_ boring.

“Welcome back, Tou-san!” I exclaimed as I met Hibiki near the door. The man looked just as tired as Tsuki did, if only a little less frazzled.

“Glad to be back, Hiroki-kun.” He answers back. Effortlessly, he wrapped a strong arm around my waist and lifted me as I peeped at the sudden loss of contact from the floor to my feet.

Being a child made heights seem exponentially larger, especially when your father was easily over 190 centimeters tall.

“Put me down! Let me go!” I immediately started pounding my hands on his shoulder after getting over my shock.

“Boys shouldn't scream like that just because they get picked up, son!” His laugh boomed and vibrated through me since I was being held right by his abdomen.

Despite his attempt at liveliness, a frown threatened to ghost over my features. Hearing Hibiki tell me that, as a boy, I shouldn't react to being picked up made me a little upset.

Does screaming at being picked up not make me a boy? Does it make me a girl, then?

Technically, I am a boy, but I still felt that I was- am- a full grown woman.

In my first life, I had been willfully ignorant. I ignored things like feminism and the PoC movement among other ideals that contrasted mine or that I didn't understand. When people had called me out of it, I used my sharp tongue and sharper wits to bite them back harder than they probably deserved.

When I had hurt people's feelings, I _knew_. I just didn't care.

I mean, I _still_ don't care now I just wanted to remind myself on what kind of person I was before.

Anyways, the main point was that I regret at least not learning more about gender and sexuality and all that because now I'm literally stuck between two genders since my biological sex completely contradicts with my previous one.

When stuck with two decisions, I always liked to weigh the pro and cons of each to help me.

Pros of being a boy: Generally looked upon better in the world, higher pay, and in the Naruto world, have all the cool jutsus and arguably always _stronger_ than their female counterparts.

Cons of being a boy: Faced with other boys who become freakishly strong, sudden and uncontrollable boners, and thrust upon with a sad backstory.

 _Alright then, boy it is_ , I thought decidedly after seeing the clear advantages of being a boy in this world.

I can always get stronger, I'm shameless enough that I don't care about unexpected boners and I've already died once.

There, all the cons solved.

Now what does it even _mean_ to be a boy? I already biologically am one. I'm guessing it has to do with mentality.

What do boys think of? Better yet, what do men think about?

 _Sex, power, and camaraderie_ , my mind procured.

I already think about those things, well, except for that last one but two out of three is pretty good.

I like sex. Sex is fun.

Power is great, sometimes even better than sex because of the rush and comfort it gives you.

What's another part of being a boy...sexuality? I'm not that ignorant to think that all boys should like girls but I assume that in all of Kishimoto's straight, canon marriages later in the series (which I did check out before falling out of the manga entirely) there was no official gay couple.

 _I could make it happen_ , I thought naughtily. _I could make **everything** happen_.

Kuroda Hibiki took his son’s sudden smile to mean that he was enjoying being carried around by his Dad, just like the good old days. Especially when the boy let out a laughter, despite how maniacal and mastermind-y it had sounded.

 _It was nice to see his son back to his old spirited self_ , Hibiki thought.

* * *

Word about my time with Sakura and Ino spread around the Academy.

“Ino said he’s better looking than Sasuke, if you look close enough.”

“No way!”

“He has a heart of gold, that’s what Sakura told Mei who told me!”

“Really?”

“Why haven’t we noticed him before?”

That was the defining question that stirred the masses of children. Kuroda Hiroki, who must have enrolled the same time as they did, who was the same age and came from the same village, was something like an enigma.

...Or more like a weed, sprouting up randomly where it didn’t belong. At least that’s what I felt like. In a body that wasn't technically mine and in a world that I very clearly didn't belong in.

But weeds do this funny little thing, where if you allow them to let loose and ignore them because they seem harmless, they end up overrunning your entire garden. Suffocating the other plants and flowers and claiming the dominion theirs.

So I guess I could be accurately described as a weed, in my eyes. Even if the girls kept calling me one of their flower boys or whatever.

It began slowly, with a few of Ino’s friends/groupies joining our little lunch sessions. Sakura had been put off a little but I didn’t allow that to deter her, always greeting her first when we meet.

I’m almost completely certain she lords that over Ino at any chance she gets.

Then, in complete opposite of what it had been, like a damn finally breaking loose after there were too many pesky holes to fill, a crowd of girls hovered around me during lunch.

Then they hovered around me during class.

And after that they waited for me before school began and waved me off as I left to go home.

It would have been pretty suffocating if not for the fact that I revelled in attention, good or bad.

Or in this case, healthy or obsessively.

I recognized many of the girls from Sasuke’s “fanclub” now in my own crowd, having converted them entirely- or at least as much as I could with the Uchiha around- to fawn over me.

As if I was some kind of great deity, it was like being worshipped. Granted, my followers were young girls with the emotional maturity of a rock but followers nonetheless.

And I was grateful for them, I truly was. I never let them forget that.

Constantly I showered the girls with praises and sweet smiles, doing the utmost to prevent myself from coming off as fake.

I built my image around being that shy boy that hid behind his lilac curls who, in actuality, was a sweet, loving boy filled with charm and cuteness.

There were a few, occasional questioning glances from some of the children and adults that wondered about my persona change but I quickly remedied that by flashing a bright smile or chatting them up.

Honestly, it felt as if I was back to being that seventeen year old who snuck into a gentlemen’s club meeting and scored a jackpot of perverts wanting to feel up an underage.

I still remembered all the fun I had buying shit with the money they gave me to keep quiet. _Oh_ , the memories.

Then the inevitable day came. It was a Tuesday when I had decided I was, intermittently, bored. Not from the fawning and fandom, but from having to use the same tricks on the same kind of people. So, I decided to set my sights on a new type of game.

One with cropped hair, pale eyes, and a stutter like no other: Hyuuga Hinata.

I already knew about her developing crush on the Kyuubi kid, and I personally didn’t want to interfere with that, so I went to her with the intentions of platonic friendship.

The girl was kneeling down by a tree, patting down a mound of dirt beneath her hands. I was able to shake off the fangirls with a smile and went to speak with Hinata.

“Hi, Hinata-san.” I greeted with a smile, standing in front of the girl.

She didn’t even see me approach her, if the flinch she just did proved anything. Her pale, pearly eyes slowly lifted their way to mines as she stuttered out, “H-hello, Kuroda-san.”

“You can call me Hiroki. The other girls already do, so it’s fine.” I gave a lopsided smile, not overly bright or particularly alluring, I think, but just enough to show the girl that I wasn’t here to be mean or anything.

At least, not in the way she’s used to.

Hinata nodded her head at my suggestion, blue-black locks bobbing along. It was pretty cute along with her shy personality.

 _She grew up hot as hell too_ , I thought passingly.

“Can I join you?” I asked as I motioned the space in front of her. Again, she nodded in response.

I shuffled my way onto my knees until I realized that it probably looked too feminine, mirroring the same posture that Hinata, an heiress, held. So I got off my haunches and then crossed my legs instead, grimacing the whole time.

Finally, after getting myself situated, I looked down at what the girl was doing. The mound of dirt she was packing actually held a few leaves under it, as evidenced by the green tips poking out of the rubble.

“Are you burying leaves?” I asked, poking at the mound.

“Y-yes, I was. Ah, um, it helps with my w-worries.”

I raised a brow as she explained herself, wondering what _worries_ meant. I thought she was just engaging in some nihilism towards her country, burying the leaf as some kind of symbol for the Leaf Village.

Then again, Hinata was, or will always be, a “good” girl. Married the main character, even!

“What worries, if you mind me asking?” I looked into her eyes, the ones that were a step lighter than my own hair color. When she realized I was staring at her, her eyes widened even more, giving her a doe-eyed effect.

 _So cute,_ I thought offhandedly, _Fuck it, I’m gonna make her my girlfriend. Might as well solidify my heterosexuality for dear old Dad._

“N-no, I don’t mind at a-all!” She closed her eyes and turned her head side to side wildly.

We were like six, did they even know what a girlfriend is? Oh well, I’ll just act as if I don’t know. Just wait until you see the look on the fangirls’ faces when they find out who my “special somebody” is.

I held back a snigger as Hinata continued.

“My O-otou-sama has high expectations for m-me, so I get a bit worried.” She looked away, hands clutching the ground below. “B-but that is fine, since I can always b-bury my worries but I cannot bury my duty. T-that is what Otou-sama s-says.”

Wow. Hiashi was hitting his daughter with the hard facts of the world at the tender age of six years and few months.

Admittedly, I agreed somewhat with Hiashi’s teachings. There were numerous ways you could bury your worries, like with drinking or drugging. Some duties, like being the President or something equally important isn’t something you can put away and ignore, however. But this doesn’t account for all things, so Hiashi was only partly correct.

I held my tongue and didn’t relay that to Hinata however, instead I grabbed her hand gently with my own before saying, “That’s really wise of you to remember. Can I tell you something about me, too?”

The dark haired girl looked at our joined hands before staring up at me with a flushed face, “W-what, Kuroda-san?”

I squeezed her hand, “It’s Hiroki.” I said quickly. “I, the truth is, Hinata, is that I really like you. I think you’re different from the other girls.”

The Hyuuga girl passed out at the right time, as a hoard of my fangirls loomed over us and screeched and screamed,

“ **WHAT?!** ”

* * *

Sasuke looked up towards the loud noise he had heard from the other side of the field they were released into. Seeing the crowd of girls- who once crowded himself on days like these- he knew exactly what the cause of their trigger was.

It all revolved around Kuroda Hiroki now, for them. Everything he did or said was followed with the same kind of focus that was pointed at him just a few days back.

Strange and outlandish was the kind of obsession- or love as _they_ called it- they held for boys like him. If only they used their attentions for actual training or studying.

But then again, the Uchiha didn’t really care anyways. None of them factored into his plans so they were as important to him as the passing scenery.

He only knew that he was glad that they were off his back. In fact, he felt slightly indebted to the Kuroda boy for pulling the girls’ attention away from the last Uchiha and onto himself.

If it wasn’t for the constant mob of girls around him, Sasuke would have approached him earlier and thanked him with a proper “Hn.”.

For now, a meaningful nod was all he could offer as they occasionally passed each other in class.

* * *

Akamaru was yipping at the crowd of girls that had gathered this morning at the front gates. Kiba hoisted the small pup into his large jacket and began to push through the throng of children to get inside the Academy.

“Hey, move out of the way!”  
“Filthy mutt!”  
“Where’s Hiroki-cchi!”

The ringing between Kiba’s ears because of the crowd’s screeching didn’t go away until he was safely tucked into his desk inside the building.

The small, white puppy leaped out from his jacket and whined as it rubbed the backs of its ears.

“Those girls are the absolute worst!” The Inuzuka complained to his friends, a Nara and Akimichi.

“They were troublesome before, but I think they are even more so now that they’ve found something new to gush about.” Shikamaru agreed lazily from where he was laying his head on the table.

Chouji said something around the smack of his lips, voice muffled by the snacks still in his mouth.

“It’s all that Hiroku guy’s fault! Or whatever his name was!” Kiba whined out more.

From behind them, a voice spoke, “It’s Hiroki. And I deeply apologize for all the ruckus those girls cause everyday. I can’t control them anymore than Sasuke did.”

Kiba sputtered out, embarrassed from the boy’s sudden appearance. Chouji choked on his snacks because of the surprise and even Shikamaru lifted his head to look at the boy.

“I don’t have much to offer right now, but perhaps my dessert is okay as apology?” The lilac haired boy dug out a pack of pudding and a few spoons, strangely prepared as if he was expecting to give away his food.

“I don’t particularly like sweets, so it’s fine if you take it. Sorry again!” And with that final apology, the boy left as quickly and silently as he had come.

The three remaining boys blinked at the three pudding cups.

“Well, I like him already!” Chouji exclaimed, breaking the silence. He reached for one of the cups and spoons and immediately started digging in.

 _Mmm_ , vanilla-chocolate swirl.

* * *

Inoichi had a nagging feeling of the boy his beloved daughter was spouting nonsense about all week.

When another name other than the Uchiha child left Ino’s mouth, the blonde haired man instantly knew something had changed.

Young girls were expected to have crushes and all that, but to go from an absolute obsession from one boy to another was, well, unexpected.

Even more strange was that Tsuki, someone he only had brief meetings with by way of coincidence, came up to and talked to him.

Their conversation went something like this:  
  
 _“Yamanaka-san, I heard about your daughter’s friendship with my son.” Tsuki had stopped him after he had dropped off some paperwork to the Hokage’s office._

_“Ah, yes, my Ino-chan was very taken with your boy. He must have been truly charming.” He answered back politely. The lilac woman gave a small smile in turn before nodding her head in agreement and voicing her leave._

The whole encounter was ominous at best and he always felt a little on edge around the Kuroda woman, despite her loyalty to this village.

Now her son is giving him the heebie jeebies and he hasn’t even met the boy.

So when he asked his daughter if he could speak with the boy, he is met with a vehement, “No! You’ll just embarrass me like usual!”

“What do you mean, as usual, Ino-chan! I just want to meet him!”

“I’ll only ask him to walk me home and you talk to him outside, then! And you interrogate him for only five minutes, no more than that!” The smaller blonde screeched before slamming her door at his face.

 _Five minutes was more than enough,_ thought the ponytailed man.

“Hello, Yamanaka-san. Ino-chan told me you had wanted to speak with me?” The little blip of a boy asked with hesitance.

Either he truly was the innocent, pure child he made himself out to be, or he wasn’t. Inoichi  just wanted to find out, for his daughter’s sake.

“I heard you were close with many of the girls in the Academy?”  
  
“Ah, not exactly. I know all of their names but I’m afraid they idolize me too much to see me as more than an object of admiration.” The boy scratched the back of his head sheepishly, as if the other girls’ frenzied feelings were a fault of his own.

Seeing that the boy held humility, obviously not letting the fangirls go to his head but being polite enough not to shoo them away- or as the Uchiha did, disdainfully endure them- Inochi decided he was a decent kid.

“Oh, that’s nothing you should worry about. I can certainly see why they idolize you, being so kind and humble to accept a request of an old man wanting to chat.”  
  
“You aren’t _that_ old Yamanaka-san! I actually think you’re pretty cool!”

Not bad, not bad at all.

* * *

I waited until Tsuki left the office room to go back in and look through the various books and scrolls.

She had left after getting a message from a hawk that perched on the windowsill of the room, apparently having to rush since it was something of importance.

“Jounin business.” Hibiki breathed out after asking him where Tsuki went. Though I could guess that _Mom_ was anything but a regular jounin doing “jounin business”.

Hibiki then went out to get some groceries to stock the fridge for this week’s food and I took my chance with an empty house all to myself.

Not to masturbate, mind you. It seems I'm still too young to be having those kind of hormones influencing my decisions just yet, and I'm actually pretty thankful for that.

It’s kind of freeing to be able to appreciate people for their looks and personality without having the ulterior feelings of lust hidden beneath. But I'll know those kind of worries will crop back up at a later age, and I'll be rightfully amused when, or if, Tsuki and Hibiki give me the talk about the “birds and bees”.

A small giggle erupted from my lips as I allowed myself to laugh at my own musings now that I was alone. The sound was airy and high pitched, enough that my gender was ambiguous if you had to go off the sound of my laughter alone.

I was about twenty minutes in of digging through a stack with records of the Kuroda clan- just a bunch of names, birth dates, etc. of people who didn't even have a picture- when I found something that caught my attention.

The dusty manuscript, leather bound and held with slightly rotted twine, read: _Kuroda Clan, A Bloody History._

Just as I was about to open the the dirty thing, Tsuki’s sharp voice cut in.

“What do you think you are doing, young man?”

I've since learned that she called me Young Man whenever she was irritated, angry, or stressed. It wasn't a name that held much affectionate endearment, but something like a reprimand.

Deciding not to skirt around the topic, I answered, “ _Kuroda Clan, A Bloody History_? What does that mean, Kaa-san?”

I tilted my head to add to my confusion.

“It seems the time to answer your earlier questions from that night has come. Let Kaa-san make some tea, then join me in the living room. I will tell you all about it, then.”

After settling in on one side of the couch, snuggled between two throw pillows, Tsuki sat near me with two slightly, steaming mugs of tea.

She handed me mines as she took a sip from hers.

The small bitterness from the green tea was a welcomed warmth. Konoha was already in its autumn months and the days are only getting colder.

“Your right dictates that you should know about our clan and its kekkei genkai.”

 _Oh this has to be good,_ I thought deviously. I just hoped the kekkei genkai wasn't something thing useless.

“Kekkei genkai?” I repeated, clutching the warm mug between my two hands.

“Kekkei genkai is are bloodline limits that are passed down from generation to generation. They are abilities that cannot be copied and are specific to one’s own clan.

For the Kuroda clan, ours is one that has left behind a trail of blood in its wake. Some aspects of it, I am ashamed to be able to use, but you must accept your kekkei genkai or it will consume you.”

I listened only half heartedly at her warning, only wanting her to get on with it and tell me what this kickass “bloody” ability I could do and what I could do with it.

I nodded along to pretend I was invested.

She continued with a grim line on her face, “Our specific kekkei genkai deals entirely with blood. Hence the name of that manuscript. Generations ago, and Hiroki-kun I mean _generations_ , the founding member of our clan figured out how to manipulate the water in our blood. This was during a time where chakra and jutsu was not common knowledge. When the five common elements were the only things our ancestors knew how to use and understand.

Our clan has a water affinity because of the founding member, and from there our kekkei genkai branched out towards its later generations. Carried through our blood, we have the power to turn others into these living puppets. One we can bend on our own will alone.”

As she continued her explanation my face grew more and more dead panned by the second.

Bloodbending, then. Our kekkei genkai was bloodbending. Like in Avatar: the Last Airbender.

It could have been worse, I guess. Could've been stuck with a shitty animal transformation or a rehashed Sharingan.

Tsuki took my falling face as a sign of my discomfort.

“But our kekkei genkai is not so horrible to take command of a person entirely. They are still fully conscious and have their own consciousness still intact, it is just that their will is no longer their own. It is replaced with ours instead.”

She offered a small smile and placed a dainty hand on my knee.

Logically, I knew that it wasn't all that comforting since our victims are essentially watching their bodies twist and move in ways they don't want it to.

I've seen a few episodes of ATLA. I know what kind of damage bloodbending could do.

Tsuki was trying her best, though, in the only way she knew how. Which was to explain that our kekkei genkai didn't take anyone's humanity or anything, which was fine with me.

My own cold, little heart thrummed a little at her display of consoling me.

“We have a water affinity? Don't people from Konoha usually have a fire affinity?” I inquired after she removed her hand from my knee. I missed the warmth, if only a little.

“Hm.” She grunted out, eyes darting around as they had before. The lilac haired woman let a sigh out, “Our clan is originally from Kirigakure, The Land Hidden in the Mist. We were taken in as one of the ‘war spoils’ that Konoha requested after the second war. That is, me and your grandmother. She died before you were born but she really should have been explaining this all to you instead of me.” Tsuki mumbled that last bit to herself with a frown.

Damn, I missed my chance in Kiri by a war and half it seems.

“Is Tou-san from here, then?”

“I sure am!” A booming voice resounded from the doorway of the living room. Hibiki was holding three plastic bags of groceries in each hand but was shining a smile at both of us.

“It's nice to see my two favorite people chatting it up, even without me, but could you two help me out away the groceries?”

A simple thing like putting away groceries turned into something like a game, where me and Hibiki raced to see who could put away things faster while Tsuki cheered and egged us on simultaneously.

The Kuroda family was a nice one, I decided. Even if I have to pretend around them, they were good parents and seemed to be decent people.

It was why there was only a small beat of regret in my heart for the future plans I held, which ultimately, didn't really include them.


	3. Grand Piano

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Am I just a fool?  
> Blind and stupid for loving you  
> Am I just a silly girl?  
> So young and naíve to think you were the one who came to take claim of this heart  
> Cold-hearted, shame you'll remain just a frame in the dark

The Kuroda clan had an extensive, war-like history, if this manuscript was anything to go by. I held onto it secretly, rolling it and stuffing it into my shirt before being able to hide it somewhere from my parents' reaches.

With each turn of the dusty pages I uncover more and more about the kind of monstrosities this clan has committed. Each sin, crime, and vulgarity written on the parchment spoke of legends in my clan.

And those were only the ones documented. Imagine all the shit that went down when no one was looking.

It wasn't all bad, though. Every handful of pages contained at least one, albeit short and concise, paragraph or so detailing other aspects of the clan that didn't revolve around war and bloodshed.

Oh  _look_ , this one says that the Kuroda clan was well known for the highly prized pearl necklaces they wore with their traditional black kimonos and yukata. Judging from the artistic rendering, as clear as a drawing made from charcoal could be, our traditional clothing seemed regal and elegant. One befitting a noble.

Then again, the conquests made by this clan and its allies had easily garnered them enough wealth to afford such luxuries. Though the same can't be said today, the Kuroda clan in its prime had the money and political power of one of the Great Shinobi Villages.

We were now just a clan in Konoha, overshadowed by the might of the Sharingan and its other great kekkei genkai.

To think that such an ancient clan, more like group now, be reduced to "war spoils" like some extra free gift that came with a purchase. The kind that you didn't even want in the first place but had to anyways since it was  _there_  for the taking.

Kind of got my blood boiling, you know. I had to relax and breathe heavily through my nose to calm down since I was gripping the pages of the manuscript too tightly. Didn't want to tear one of the last remaining evidence of this clan's deep rooted history.

Because even if Tsuki dies and I die, as long as the  _memory_  of the Kuroda clan carries on, our blood and legacy will continue.

I very much did not like to be forgotten.

One particular page spoke of Kuroda Ayushiridara, the White Phantom. From his time of death, it would have made him my great-great-great-great-great grandfather.

He was called the White Phantom because of the way he bloodbended without hand seals, without even a single twitch. He could kill from the shadows like this, with none the wiser. Leaving his victims without them ever seeing his face; coming and going like a phantom.

Lilac hair also seemed to be a genetic trait shared by the clan. Ayushiridara (or Ayu-jii as I've affectionately called him in my head) just had hair that was a few shades lighter than the usual, marking him with that moniker.

His most famous feat was when he assassinated the council he was being arrested by- on charges of being "noncompliant to the client's express wishes of sparing his under aged lover during a coup"- by somehow being able to kill everyone in that room with his hands shackled and blindfolded.

 _Killing without even looking at someone, that's one hell of a bloodbender_ , I smiled, a sudden rush of pride for Ayu-jii.

Anyways, the rest of the pages were filled with other stories of killers and murderers within the clan. Some very graphic explanations on how their victims were twisted, churned, or mangled by our kekkei genkai.

It was like finding a storybook of your favorite character, except these characters are your family and the stories were morbid. The clan manuscript still entertained me and probably would for a long time, judging by the kind of ideas that I've been inspired by from these pages.

My clan was filled with crazy it seems. Kind of like how the Uchiha were stuck with the Curse of Hatred or some shit, the Kuroda eventually become mentally unstable and/or develop bloodthirsty tendencies.

 _Must be from years of inbreeding_ , I concluded.

The original founder, the one that Tsuki told me about, was in here too. Just about how he developed bloodbending through experimenting with his water affinity. Nothing about his kills or anything though, so our disposition for death must have come later on.

The last page, which was crusted together with the previous one before it, wasn't printed with any words. Instead, there was one symbol etched in the middle of the yellow-stained sheet.

The kanji for rice field was depicted with each of its four squares filled with inky black and being outlined by white. This was the Kuroda clan symbol.

It was literal in all sense: our name meaning "black rice field" and the symbol being the kanji for it and colored black. Then again, it wasn't like I could come up with a better one so it I guess it was alright.

A sly grin inched its way onto my lips, my eyes squinting with the gesture.

"My clan was already filled with monsters. With the blood that runs through my veins, what is one more?" I whispered to myself, still alone in the night.

Maybe I can forgive the universe for not putting me in Kiri. Especially when they've graced me with the blood of war titans and legends.

The next morning, I asked Tsuki if she had any clothes with our clan symbol on it. She procured a haori, pitch black like her eyes, and a length of pearls.

Both were meant to be worn by an older male, by the size of each, but she had told me I could always grow into it. Just like most of my wardrobe that were filled with oversized clothes, I would have to accept it.

By the time I was in the Academy the girls were cooing over my new outfit, much different than my usual black shirt and jogging pants.

The hakama draped over me while brushing against my ankles with the length of it, making it look as if I was wearing an open yukata instead. I switched my jogging pants with standard ninja bottoms that flared out and had to be tucked into my sandals. The pearls were wrapped around my neck twice to make it fall shorter on my chest, right by my sternum. Underneath the haori was a white undershirt, which had a small shoyu stain by its sleeve but no one would be able to see it because of the longer fabric of the haori.

"Hiroki-cchi, you look so cute!" A brunette yelled out to me. The crowd agreed noisily and continued to fawn over my being as I gave a bashful smile as thanks.

I kept the girls who were crowding into me back by holding my two hands up in defense. It didn't do much but I understood their need of being close to the object of their affections.

Speaking of "objects of affections", my eyes caught a certain dark haired bob amidst the crowd.

A small smile fixed itself on my lips as I called out, "Hina-chan! Wait up!"

Pale eyes darted up towards me as I waved and rushed up to stand beside her, smiling all the while. I could almost feel the spit that fell out of my fangirls' mouths as they sputtered behind me.

"Good morning, Hina-chan!" I greeted brightly. After confessing to her and claiming her as mine, she's received all my special attention to herself. It satisfied a deep part in me to see so many people get riled up and jealous, further solidifying their burning obsession with me in their hearts.

From behind me, I could hear gasps and hisses of displeasure, a voice grumbling "So she has a nickname?" with clear distaste.

"G-good morning, Hiroki-kun." The Hyuuga replied back shyly. It was nice to hear her say my name more casually now; seeing her open up to me ever so slowly. I honestly can't wait until I win this  _game_  and she falls for me.

I wonder how bad I'll fuck up the plotline if Naruto and Hinata never get it on?

As usual, my routine for my Academy self consisted of taking notes in class, sparring, exercising, lunch, and more notes. Of course, I took every chance I could get to spend time with Hinata, something I knew the girl approved since she's been ignoring the death glares and unspoken threats pretty well.

Hyuuga Hinata was a type of girl who relished being put first above others, drinking in my compliments and praises like a dehydrated plant.

And I was glad to give it.

Give and take; we used each other for our own motives and it was enough. She liked me for the attention I gave her and I liked her for the fact that I would mold this person differently to what they  _should_  have been.

Which was why I felt no guilt when I had told her one afternoon, clutching her slightly trembling hand in mine, "Can you tell me how the Byakugan works?"

* * *

Hyuuga Hinata was a weak willed girl. Soft spoken. Sheltered. Beaten down, physically and mentally, by the weight of her duty as heiress to the great Hyuuga clan.

So it was like a breath of fresh air, or perhaps even the  _first_  breath of air she's taken in her eight years of life, when she met Kuroda Hiroki.

She knew of the clan from her father's teachings about all notable clans in Konoha. It was a brief explanation, seeing as the Kuroda were small and not originating from the Land of Fire, but she had remembered it all the same. It was the small mishaps that create the biggest complications, her father had once told her.

Not as if the Kuroda clan itself was a "mishap", just that it was something that had come into Konoha one day, after the war, and carved a place for itself. Not really belonging but having to fit in all the same.

In many ways, like that one, she could relate to the Kuroda and thus could relate to the chocolate eyed boy who had spouted confessions of interest towards her.

 _A wonder_ , she thought one night under her futon,  _It is a wonder that someone has come to reach out to me when I did not know them or acknowledge them_.

Hinata figured that she should apologize to the boy the next time she sees him. If only to make up for the fact that she had dismissed him as nobody.

The dark haired girl knew just how hurtful it was to be ignored, so she could only imagine what it felt like to be ignored by the one you liked.

Hyuuga Hinata, for all her timidness, decided that Kuroda Hiroki was a nice boy and had a big heart. Always putting up with her despite her lack of initiative and people skills, even when he had the pick of the entire female population of their class.

She feels blessed by him, looking forward to seeing him again as her cousin lands blow after blow on her small body. She smiles because she  _has_  something to look forward to and it is something that she possesses alone.

She smiles.

* * *

 _The kids are mean, the adults are mean, even that dog who bit me was mean!_ , was what went through the whiskered faced child's mind as he skulked around the outskirts of the village.

His face was downcast and eyes blurry from the tears that he'd forcefully held down so he hadn't seen the figure walk up to him.

A small tap to the shoulder had the blonde snapping his head up.

"Are you alright?" Said the boy in front of him. He was the same height as Naruto, though more brighter and full-cheeked. Evidence of a healthy diet and good upbringing.

Despite being a child, Naruto knew somewhat of the different classes of people in the village. The brown eyed boy, for instance, must have been well off to be wearing a haori of such fine material as well as the telltale sign of his shiny pearls. Naruto, on the other hand, was wearing all second-hand clothing that were riddled with loose strings and stains. Both boys' clothes were oversized but while the brown eyed boy's made him look classy, Naruto just looked like a street rat.

Which he was, on occasion. Only when he forgot to save his money and didn't have anything to eat. Which forced him to scavenge for food.

"Course I am!" The blonde beamed an open mouthed grin, not wanting to give off the impression of someone needy or  _weak_.

"I saw you get bit by that dog, though. Does it still hurt?" The brown eyed boy reached for the arm that was still red and swollen from the four bite marks that pocked his skin. It bled a little earlier but Naruto had washed it off in a stream before it stained his clothes.

Naruto pulled his arm back and behind him to prevent the other boy from touching it, "Only a little, but I'm a boy! So I'm real tough!"

A firm line pulled at the lips of the brown eyed boy, something in his eyes flashing before Naruto could catch it.

"I'm Uzumaki Naruto, by the way! And I'm gonna be Hokage someday, believe it!" The blonde tried to remedy, seeing as he may have upset the other boy in some way or another.

The firm line relaxed and turned into a gentle smile. Naruto decided he liked that look better on the boy than the one before.

"Kuroda Hiroki. And I think you'd be a great Hokage someday, Naru-kun." A giggle fills the air, light and chiming like a bell.

A small blush fills the blonde's cheeks at the nickname, "Uh, yeah, thanks, Hiroki-kun."

He tries out the way the other boy's name sounded on his tongue. Glancing at said boy to see his reaction, if he'd turn away in disgust like all the others did.

Instead, Hiroki's smile grew wider, stretching his cheeks and squinting his eyes. The boy before him looked kind of like a dream: all soft lines and lilac colored hair like cotton candy. He was smiling at Naruto with his hands clasped together in front him, head tilted slightly to the side making some of his curls fall on the side of his cheek.

Naruto knew then that he's found someone he wants to protect; a  _precious person_.

His blush grows deeper at the realization. The chiming laughter fills the air once more.

* * *

The Uzumaki was simple to endear to at this age when he was so alone and starved for affection. It was almost laughable at how easy it had been.

In fact, I had laughed. Like twice.

Just a few words of concern, a smile here and there and  **Bam!**  I could remember the precise moment of when Naruto's heart had accepted me.

It was kind of admirable, actually. The extent of that boy's willingness to see the good in others almost makes me wish I could do the same.

Almost.

I was already much too aware of the failings of the world to believe in something as insoluble as philanthropy and selflessness.

(Though technically the only fulfilling experience I have is from a different world, I'd like to bet that this world operated on similar ethics and ways of nature.

Humans are humans are humans, after all. Ninja or no.)

Naruto was nine years old, in a class above us but I knew he'd fail and sequentially be put in the same class as me and the Rookie 9 eventually. I could have acted sooner, sought him out the second I knew I was in Konoha, though I think nine is a good age to start making an influence on the boy nonetheless.

The care and raising of a jinchuuriki is tough work, and a long haul at that. It's best to take my time and approach this matter slowly if I wished to befriend Naruto and monopolize his loyalty.

I was playing a dangerous game by trying to manipulate Hinata and Naruto both, who had originally were supposed to find love in each other but will now be turned to me for affection instead. Honestly, I just wanted to see what would happen if they ended up not lovers but rivals for my attention.

I was going to eventually pit them against each other for my heart anyways. It was one of my main goals of reaching out to them and making contact.  
Hell, the only thing keeping me from defecting from the village and fooling around with Orochimaru or the Akatsuki was the fact that I had the main protagonist so easily in reach of me. The one that would create the most change was right in front of me and knowing that if I had him, I essentially controlled the outcome of major events.

What if I kept Naruto from converting Pein? Would everyone be left as rotting corpses under the rubble of Konoha, then? Without Naruto to convince Nagato about the error of his ways, Konoha would be no more, essentially.

What about Sasuke? Would he and Naruto even have the same bond now that I'm here to fuck shit up?

Just thinking about how many people I could screw over with so little effort on my part- no earth splitting fights or near deaths for me- has me risking to break my facade and straight up laugh like an evil genius every once in awhile.

But that is what I am, right? An evil, maniacal genius.

I'm not just using Naruto either since he was also using me, technically. He can take all the attention he wants from me and I'll use his jinchuuriki status to entertain me.

Give and take.  _Give_  and  _take_.

My routine after coming home from school was like this: eat a snack, train with Tsuki, take a shower, finish homework, plan for future arrangements, and then go to sleep.

It's been like this since after that first week of coming to in this world, after getting adjusted to my ninja world and accepting my new life.

I ate a few slices of mangoes before going out to the backyard to stretch. Tsuki would be coming soon and she expected me to warm up for our training beforehand, something I learned after getting a cramp and being yelled at for not stretching earlier.

When she arrived, quietly as ever, she engaged me on a full out spar without warning. It was to be expected though. Sometimes she'll do something like this after teaching me new katas or defensive moves to see how I'll use them in a fight, if I'll even remember to implement them at all.

I crouched low from her swing to my head, then jumped back from the approaching fist that aimed for my throat.

Pulling out a few kunai from the holster on my waist, inconspicuously hidden below my haori, I threw them towards her direction before holding a hand sign to summon a few clones.

Tsuki easily dodged all of the metal flying her way, even deflecting some back at me as my clones honed in on her in a taijutsu brawl.

Flurries of kicks, punches, and lunges flashed between her and my clones as I stayed back to focus my own chakra. After feeling the faint thrum of chakra beneath my skin, circulating through each gate like fluid water, I zeroed in on Tsuki's form.

She was moving rapidly, which made it a touch more difficult, but I knew I had successfully managed to use my bloodbending on her after her arm twitched and flew out towards one of the clones. This obviously opened her up for a bruising kick that would have shattered bone if I had intended my clones to fight seriously.

My hold on her with my bloodbending didn't last that long or effectively, that spare second only moved her arm. It was good enough though for my age and level.

Prodigious, even. Since Tsuki had explained to me that only a small number of our clan actually gained the ability to bloodbend, otherwise only able to execute suiton jutsu at a high level.

I didn't miss the small bit of pride that shone through her eyes as I showed the emergence of our kekkei genkai. Thoughts like "Of course" and "It is to be expected" probably ran through her head when she saw my deftness at bloodbending.

Admittedly, I was a little proud of myself too. Being an OP character was always more fun than some side character who just befriended the main protagonists like a groupie. With this kekkei genkai, I'll become my own hero of this story.

Or villain. Whatever, "protagonist" is the more accurate title anyways. Someone who was the leading actor, the center of attention.

What I'm trying to say is that I'll become my own hero, one who doesn't need to be saved. Unlike Naruto who grew in power with the more allies he's attained along the way, I'll forcefully forge a path for myself and create my own legend.

Ayu-jii would be proud, I think.

A frown made itself on my face as Tsuki pummeled the last of my clones before aiming a fist at me, who was preoccupied with my own musings of the future and dead ancestors. Her bare-knuckled punch hit my cheek, making my teeth clatter and body fall backwards onto the ground.

The sharp edge of a kunai held steady against my neck as Tsuki crouched over my fallen form. Smirk-faced yet appraising looks told me, "Your control has gotten better. You were able to move my arm this time."

I pouted and pushed the hand holding the kunai away from my throat, "I still lost."

"Yes, but you have improved. That is all that I can ask of you, for now. You cannot expect to defeat your mother just yet, Hiroki-kun."

The pale haired woman helped me up on my feet with an outstretched hand, the one not holding a pointy object.

I dusted any dirt off the back of the haori as I looked back at Tsuki, "Can we continue with bloodbending training again? I think I can really master it sooner if I don't slack off."

* * *

On days when I was forced to train alone because Tsuki and Hibiki were both busy, with the same excuse of "jounin business", I honed in on my kekkei genkai in the comfort of my own home.

Small insects and the occasional rodent would suffice for my training. Whenever I caught one, I'd place it in one of the random cardboard boxes lying around the house and bloodbend on them.

I still remember the first non-human I bended on: a cockroach.

It was huge, brown, and twitchy. Started off slowly and carefully by having it move its antennae around, side to side, swivel clockwise and counterclockwise.

After I had been bored with that, I focused more chakra and held the hand seal closer to my chest. I was so in tuned with the water inside of the cockroach that I could even feel the slight movements of its intestinal tract, fluctuating as the bug squirmed and struggled.

Focusing more chakra, I managed to get it on its hind legs and do a little dance for me. It was kind of cute and made me smile a bit before it bursted with a sickening  _pop!_

Some cockroach guts landed on my face and my previous smile quickly morphed to a dead panned expression. I wasn't so much disgusted but just disappointed in my lack of mastery, allowing the subject to die before I was done with it.

Since then, I've been practicing and practicing. Keeping my control tight and pinpoint accurate to avoid any more eruptions of bodily fluids and premature death.

I had to do all this in secret, of course. Tsuki may not be all there in the mind either but I had the feeling she didn't want to find out that her son was a sociopath who experimented on living things by pushing the limits of their physical bodies.

Konoha didn't need to find out that a second Orochimaru was within its walls. Not yet, anyway.

Note to self, keep away from purple clothing and winged eyeliner. Didn't need the trouble of people drawing unwanted attention and conclusions.

Childishly, I fretted at the thought of not being able to wing out my eyes. Makeup was such a fun thing to do but now I was limited to it. Then again, I could always henge into a girl and do it then. I'd just need to smother my chakra and avoid any shinobi or else I'd be caught. I wouldn't have any explanation then other than being curious.

It was no surprise that I spent the next opportunity I had to myself henged to look exactly as I had in my first life, fake boobs and all.

I had to go to the bathroom and look at my vagina to remember what it had looked like, being that it  _has_  been quite a while since I've seen any private parts other than my own male anatomy.

That afternoon was spent playing with Tsuki's makeup and wearing her clothes. A childish contentment went through me that day. Made me feel like the eight year old I physically was and not the twenty five year old woman who was in a boy's body.

Some days I felt myself disassociate more than usual so it was pleasant to take a break and be  _myself_ every once in awhile. As ridiculous as it sounds.

I cut off the breathing of a white furred rodent as I felt Hibiki's approaching chakra signature approach the house. Another thing I've found is that I'm a damn good sensor. Something I discovered after concluding that the buzzing I felt every time I was around shinobi was actually their chakra I was picking up.

The rat was safely tucked under my bed, joined among the other critters that were killed that week, to be hidden.

 _I really should get around to disposing this week's trash_ , I thought disdainfully towards the pile of tiny corpses,  _Eh, I'll do it during my chores._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The Academy Arc is ending real soon since I'm kind of getting tired writing about a bunch of children (which is also why the dialogue is clipped and kind of strange since what do children talk about?).
> 
> About Naruto getting bitten by a dog, it may or may not have been Hiroki's meddling that led the dog to sic Naruto. Hinata's POV also shows just what kind of effect Hiroki has on the other children, as evidenced by their unhealthy relationship. Just a note to you all, if you ever feel like you have to apologize for being who you are to someone, it might be a sign that you are in an abusive relationship. You can also see the different interpretations to Hiroki's actions. When Hiroki laughs, one person may think he's doing it in good humor when in actuality he may just be laughing at you. Again, I'd like to stress that Hiroki is not a nice character and never will be. Hiroki turning into some redemption hero isn't what this story is about, sorry!
> 
> Hiroki acknowledges his power and his apparent unhinged mental health, which he seems to accept happily. I made an effort to show his kind of twisted view on the world, with his awe towards his monstrous family and lack of empathy for death- even if it's for small creatures. Hiroki is also an intelligent child, if you couldn't tell by his often complex thoughts and actions. It also accents his occasional tirade of curses and plans for world domination. I'd like to describe Hiroki as a mix of calculating genius and cheesy cornball.
> 
> Also, for the sake of Hiroki's still convoluted gender mess, Hiroki sticks to "he/him" pronouns since he's "trying" to pass off as a boy. I'll try to go more into his gender and all that since it's clear he still enjoys henging back to his previous body and looking effeminate.
> 
> If there's any particular character you'd like to see Hiroki interact with some time in the story please leave a review! I may even consider them to be up for a relationship with Hiroki since right now, the only thing I have in mind is an end game with Hinata (and perhaaaps Naruto).


	4. Earned It

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You make it look like it's magic  
> 'Cause I see nobody, nobody but you, you, you  
> I'm never confused  
> Hey, hey  
> I'm so used to being used
> 
> You know our love would be tragic (oh, yeah)  
> So you don't pay it, don't pay it no mind, mind, mind
> 
> You're my favorite kind of night
> 
> On that lonely night  
> We said it wouldn't be love  
> But we felt the rush  
> It made us believe it was only us (only us)  
> Convinced we were broken inside (shit), inside (shit)

Our class was absolutely buzzing with noise and anxiety because of the Genin Exams that morning. A few people had already been called in to the separate room by Iruka and most have come out with a brand new hitae-ate of their own.

Hinata was called up next and I flashed a quick smile at her as I whispered, "Good luck."

"T-thank you, Hiroki-kun." The dark haired girl whispered back, a grateful gleam in her eyes as she stepped into the other room.

I fell backwards onto my seat as I waited for my turn, humming to fill up time. Not like I needed the noise distraction. There was still a few girls that clung to me, their attraction to me overpowering their nervousness to study for the exam, chattering about and trying to make conversation.

Mostly, I just ignored them and scrunched up my face to look as if I was going over the Academy basics through my head, as if I actually needed to seriously study. I was already so far above genin level that it was kind of a joke that the only qualifications were a simple bunshin. Then again, there was that extra test given by our jounin instructors, but that was based on intelligence, strategy, and teamwork. Not necessarily brute strength or extravagant jutsu, just enough to show you have the basics of Konoha-standard synergy.

Or what I'd call, "the ability to use other's strengths effectively to make up for your own shortcomings". Which wasn't bad or anything, just that I personally felt I didn't have any. At least not after I finally master my kekkei genkai, _then_ I'd be unstoppable.

The girlfriend stepped out of the room, hitae-ate in hand and looked up towards where I was sitting. I felt her eyes on me and so I looked back at her, jumping down to congratulate her for passing (which I expected anyways).

"I knew you could do it. I'm happy for you, Hina-chan." I said warmly as I neared her.

The blush that was already on her cheeks- maybe from exertion or adrenaline or pride- deepened, "Thank you, Hiroki-kun. I p-predict you will ace yours much quicker than I had."

I grabbed at the forehead protector in her hands and went to stand behind her. Before she could ask I assured her, "I'm glad you have such high hopes for me. But this isn't about me right now," I tied the hitae-ate across the top of her head like a headband. "There. Now you look like a real kunoichi."

The dark haired girl mumbled a few words in her embarrassment as I turned her around to face me, admiring the headbanded look I gave her. I really liked headbands, especially when they're on cute things. It wasn't a ribbon like Sakura's, but it was adorable enough on her.

There wasn't much more time for me to oogle at her as Iruka stepped out and called my name. Rushedly, I gave Hinata's hand a quick squeeze and ran off to follow Iruka.

I knew she'd wait for me to finish my test. Maybe she was hoping for a date to celebrate this special occasion? You only become a genin once in your life, you know. Perhaps I'll take her out for dinner and leave before she can ask me to meet with her Father or some shit.

I've been carefully dodging around that matter entirely; trying to avoid meeting her family at all costs. They'd only evaluate me and see if I was worthy to date and then marry their clan heiress, anyways. Knowing how much sticks were shoved up the Hyuuga clan's ass only solidified my need to evade them and their meddling ways.

"I'm just trying to hook up with your daughter, give her the right nudge towards being an overpowered character and learn the secrets of the Byakugan. That's all." Is what I'd want to say when the Hyuuga clan head inevitably interrogates me.

Not like I could just say that to Hiashi's face or anything. He'd more likely hang me around the neck before accepting my true reasons for courting his daughter. _Hinata_ didn't even know my true reasons for dating her.

Children were at that age where they started keeping secrets anyways so I happen to think it's alright if no one knew about my, albeit morally grey, decisions in life.

 _It'll all work out in the end,_ I thought, _Even if I have to force it to._

"Please use the proper hand seals to make a bunshin clone, please. Then hold that bunshin for at least ten seconds." Iruka's soothing voice instructed me from behind the table he sat down at. He really did have the natural talent for teaching when it came to acting the part of sweet schoolteacher.

I nodded my head in understanding and went to making a bunshin the _long_ way. Ram, snake, tiger in a quick enough progression for them to see each hand sign but not so slow to let them think I was out of my depth. I could have easily made a clone from holding two fingers up against my chest but that wasn't something taught in the Academy curriculum, so I bit down my exasperation and summoned the chakra to my stomach.

An exact copy of my twelve year old self poofed into existence next to me. Mizuki, who hadn't said a word and looked thoroughly disinterested, started a timer he held on his hand.

_10, 9, 8, 7 ,6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1..._

A click from the timer went off just as I dispelled the clone. Iruka went to grab one of the hitae-ate's and gave it to me after I stepped up to the table they sat behind. I thanked them for their time which Iruka smiled back at me with no hidden pride and Mizuki yawned. Throughout the years, I've kept up a good record for myself and worked up to being the second top rookie of the year right behind Sasuke. Iruka must have been proud at that, thinking that he contributed somewhat to my improvement and sudden jump in performance.

Though I strongly held myself back in honesty, not wanting to show up Sasuke, the resident genius, in case I antagonize the boy or draw unwanted attention. Mizuki must have known already who was or wasn't going to pass, hence his obvious indifference towards the whole thing.

As I passed through the door to head back out, I heard Mizuki's lowered voice whisper to Iruka, "Geez that kid disturbs me sometimes. Did you see that? He was smiling from the minute he walked in to the minute he walked out, the whole entire time."

* * *

Hinata and I went to eat at some fancy restaurant near my house afterwards. I wore my hitae-ate around my neck, reminiscent of the way the girlfriend wore hers in the manga. Only because I curled the bangs on my head and I didn't want the metal band messing up my hair.

(Tsuki caught me using her straightening iron one morning as I stood on the stepping stool by the bathroom sink. She blinked at me and I had blinked at her, both our eyes carefully neutral and blank.

"You are going to burn your hair." She says after a time and I then notice the faint smell of smoke and burnt hair in the air.

Luckily, Tsuki helped put a hair mask to prevent any lasting damage to my frayed tips.)

Me and Hinata just talked about our own experiences during the exam over our lunch which consisted of fresh sashimi and other various seafood- I mainly stuck to the shrimp and crab while she likened the raw fish platter.

"I knew you would make genin easily, Hiroki-kun. It's a shame you didn't become rookie of the year." Hinata told me with a faint bitterness in her voice, aimed towards the Uchiha. She left his name unsaid because we both knew about her sudden and growing dislike towards the boy, going so far that she didn't even stutter when she spoke about him.

I've found that when the girl gets irritated or angry, she gains a newfound confidence that allows her to leave her speech impediment behind and show a more vindictive, perhaps even petty, side to her. I like this new side of her immensely, knowing that her loyalty to me caused the normally placid girl to grow a few sharp edges.

Kind of like nursing a rose bush and finally see it come to fruition at the sight of the blooming roses, thorns and all. In many ways, Konoha was my garden and I, the watchful keeper. As long as I willed it, I can turn this garden into one filled with beautiful flowers or, if I wished to, one filled with smothering weeds.

I picked at the empty crab shell to hide my amusement, "I don't mind coming in second to Sasuke-san, really. I'm happy for the improvements I've made, especially with everyone cheering me on."

Then, seeing the girl's slightly frowning face, I added, "And I'm extremely glad to always have you by my side, Hina-chan. It's kind of surprising sometimes that you even stuck with me after all this time."

The dark haired girl flushed furiously at my concession, looking up at me with wide eyes through dark lashes. Love and the beginnings of obsession were blossoming in those eyes.

I dropped her off on her street and wished her well on the way before heading back home.

 _If I'm lucky,_ I thought to myself, _Hiashi wasn't spying on us_.

Though considering the man's Byakugan and inherent nosiness, he had most likely caught us as we headed towards the clan compound. Probably had some of his clansmen peeping on us at the restaurant, too.

Whatever, as long as he refrains from slamming me with a marriage proposal to Hinata then I'll choose to ignore his meddling.

After coming home and making green tea for myself, I heard Tsuki's arrival from the couch I was lounging on.

"I am back." Her endlessly cool tone echoed out, peering into the living room after taking off her shoes.

"Welcome home, Kaa-san." I straightened myself to allow the full effect of the hitae-ate's glint catch her eyes. Her lips tugged upwards at the sight and came to envelop me in her arms.

She smelled like cotton and clean air with the lingering note of dried blood.

"Congratulations, Hiroki-kun. I had heard from Hiashi that you and Hinata-chan had graduated so I rushed home as quickly as I could." She told me as her head rested across my shoulder.

 _Hiashi_ , of course he'd tell her. That man is a menace. At least Tsuki wasn't playing along with his meddling after finding out about me and Hinata; the last thing I need is my own mother trying to control my relationship.

"Thank you, Kaa-san. I went to celebrate with Hina-chan before she had to come home so it's fine. I just came in a few minutes ago myself." I mumbled into her chest.

I thought she was going to let go of me after a small beat of silence passed through us just as she whispered, "Have you told anyone about your kekkei genkai?"

My eyes tilted sideways to catch the side of her head, pale and smooth, "No. Not even Hina-chan."

Then, in a tone more serious that I've ever heard her, "Good. Keep it that way, Hiroki-kun. There are still those who demonize the past of our clan, not willing to understand us as humans but instead monsters. Only use it when necessary. Only practice within our own supervision. Your father knows because he has already accepted everything by marrying into the clan, but beyond that, you must keep it a secret. Do you understand?"  
Her words were not a suggestion, they were an order.

"Of course, Kaa-san."

It was easy enough to hide my talents when I've recently started to hold back on her too.

She nodded her head and held me for a bit longer. Her embrace wasn't warm or comforting, the flak jacket stiff and her arms a little chilled, yet I still found that a miniscule part of me enjoyed being hugged.

Must be the childish hormones that are a side-effect of having a young boy's body.

Never had a real mom before to compare being hugged to, at any rate.

* * *

Just as I was heading to bed after eating dinner, I headed out to be there for Naruto's confrontation with Mizuki.

"Kaa-san! Tou-san! I'm gonna go out for a walk, the _hijiki_ made me really gassy!" I yelled out as I ran out of the door, not even waiting to hear their response.

 _The alarm calling for jounin will set off soon anyways_ , I thought as I rushed off to the Hokage Tower. Hopefully, I didn't miss anything by waiting for Naruto to show up and steal the forbidden scroll.

As I neared the circular building, I concealed my chakra and stuck to the shadows. The sun was setting and people were heading home for the night, as I noticed shops closing up and window lights turning on.

 _In less than an hour, shit will go down_ , I grinned eagerly as I took post against an alley wall behind the tower.

It took only twenty three minutes and fifty seconds (I counted) before I caught sight of Naruto's orange clad figure trying to wiggle into the third floor's window. I shook my head at the sight. How did anyone not notice a literal traffic cone trying to sneak into the _Hokage's_ office?

At least I didn't have to wait long before said traffic cone was wiggling right out with a scroll between his grubby hands.

The sirens blared loud and angry into the night as I felt the rush of chuunin and jounin flying by overhead. Time for action, then.

Staying concealed, chakra and body, I followed the boy out into a forest clearing that was squashed between the Hokage Monument and the Hokage Tower. I held back from shaking my head again at the obvious rendezvous point. The Academy was literally _right there_ , I could see the deep red clay tiles of the building just above the trees. Even in the dark of the night it was clear how Iruka managed to get here so quickly.

Anyways I stayed back, hiding behind the trunk of a tree as I listened in on Mizuki's monologuing just as the brown haired, scar-faced sensei came bursting in to save his precious student/younger brother figure. Mizuki was going on about how Iruka hated Naruto the most because of some bullshit reason.

Seriously, I knew how amusing it was to use people to do things for you but having a twelve year old nab some scroll for you (a feat easily done just by seeing Naruto's success at it)? And then exposing the truth like that to him out of nowhere just to rub it in how hated he was? Kind of a dick move. It was like having your kid pick up a birth certificate and then telling them they're adopted with the documents their holding to prove it, as if the years you've spent caring for them meant nothing.

Well, perhaps not that dick-ish of a move but finding out the monster you've been seeing in your head killed a lot of people is still jarring, I'd expect.

I had thought this would play out just like the manga, with Naruto finding some courage and beating Mizuki or whatever but something very _different_ happened.

There was a deep rumbling sound coming from under Iruka, low and feral. It took a while before I registered it as Naruto, but by then the boy had pushed Iruka off- who still had the giant shuriken impaled on his back- and was glaring outright at Mizuki.

He looked positively _wild_.

Hunched over a bit and growling, fingers curling in as the marks on his face grew longer and glowed red. Then came the chakra.

It wasn't anything I've experienced before, this feeling of being overwhelmed by something otherworldly. Almost demonic, with the way a slight film of red coated Naruto's hands and eyes.

I had to force myself to relax and breath, not realizing that I nearly choked on my lack of oxygen. This must have been my body's natural response to the chakra, to freeze up as if I was in fear.

But I wasn't afraid, not at all. No, looking at the raging boy, I almost felt a sense of parental pride.

 _This_ was what I wanted to manipulate and have to myself, a weapon that I'd wield to shake the world and bring it to its knees. I will encase this world in an iron grip with the Kyuubi's power, manifested chakra and all.

A chuckle threatened to escape my lips but I quickly clamped my mouth shut, not wanting to risk getting found out.

Almost too quickly, many things happened in the span of the next few minutes.

Mizuki cowered in fear at the familiar feeling of the Kyuubi's chakra yet still had it in him to goad the boy-host on, spouting nonsense about "the monster you'll always be".

Naruto responded in an even deeper, louder growl. The bubbling red chakra was growing and coming off him in waves now. I had cursed under my breath and had to draw up a crude seal that would at least conceal the chakra of the most immediate area because I didn't want any other company besides the three here.

My fingers flashed through the signs quickly and then finished it with a bit of blood from my thumb by smearing it across the ground.

The inky, black kanji finished it's self-made writing just as Naruto charged at Mizuki, Iruka screaming the whole time. Almost like slow motion, Mizuki moved up an arm to deflect the boy's swing, most likely underestimating a jinchuuriki's strength.

Regret immediately wrought itself onto the chuunin's face as razor sharp claws dug through his arm and into his chest, effectively pinning his hand atop his heart. With a squelch, Naruto yanked his clawed hand out of Mizuki's arm and chest before falling backwards onto his bottom. The now pallid faced chuunin stared downwards at the enormous gash on his body, bleeding profusely onto the ground below.

Seeing the gore he made, Naruto trembled and mumbled nonsense before backing up. Iruka got the giant shuriken dislodged from his back by then and went over to console the shaking boy.

That night, Mizuki had died, Iruka wore a fleshy, new scar on his back and Naruto awakened the overwhelming power of the Kyuubi.

* * *

"Hey, Naruto! I heard from the others, congrats on passing the exams!" I nodded toward the hitae-ate tied across the blonde's forehead.

I caught him as he was skulking around the edges of the Academy this morning. His eyes were slightly red and hair a little frazzled but overall looked alright despite his scuffle from last night.

He was durable, I'd give him that.

"Ah, Hiroki-kun," The blonde looked around nervously. His first kill probably made him a bit paranoid. "Thanks but, I don't think you should hang around me too much."

The boy cast his gaze downwards, effectively using his hair to hide his eyes. He knew now that he was a jinchuuriki and thus was hated by the general populace.

I waited out a few moments to check with my chakra if there were any peeping eyes or listening ears- there weren't, ANBU probably had to be scolded for losing sight of their charge and allowing him to steal a forbidden scroll- before replying, "Is this about you being a jinchuu-"

A clammy, warm hand slapped itself over my mouth and a harsh shush was sent my way, "Shh! It's supposed to be a secret, Hiroki-kun!"

Then, realizing that the so-called-secret was already known by me, "Wait! You knew?! For how long?! How did you find out?! Why didn't you say any-"

This time I clamped my own hand around the boy's mouth, silencing him only to muffled yelling.

We were a sight to behold: two twelve year olds with their hands covering the mouth of the other. We blinked at each other blankly.

I was the first to remove my hand and then Naruto followed suit.

"I have my own secrets, Naruto-kun." I told him after wiping my mouth. His hand was salty and gross, and smelled faintly like cup ramen.

Where was antibacterial, scented hand sanitizer when you need it? Maybe I should "invent" it and make millions off the new found business.

"...So you don't hate me or anything? Even after knowing?" The blonde asked with loaded hesitance, peering up at me from the upper corner of his eyes.

 _Puppy dog eyes? If I had a heart I think I would have fallen for them_ , I thought distractedly.

"Why would I hate you? You do know that ninja are trained killers, right? As a whole, this village's probably killed more over the span of its lifetime than your Kyuubi." I shrugged a shoulder and looked off at the Hokage Monument facing us, the stone-filled eyes almost accusing as I threatened to exploit the truth of Konohagakure.

A sly grin fell on my lips, "This village was the one to put that beast inside you, anyways. If anything, _they_ should take responsibility and own up that they weren't even thinking when putting a tailed beast inside a baby! It isn't your fault that your hated, Naruto. Those idiots are just afraid of what they don't understand."

My eyes turned to look at the boy who was staring back at me with contemplation in his own eyes. The gears turning in that little head of his was super cute.

"You know what, you're right! But even if they hate me, Hiroki-kun," The boy's previous gloom was completely replaced by the confident pose he struck. "I'll become Hokage so that they _do_ understand me! So that they can't hate other children because they can't confess to their own mistakes, believe it!"

I was actually mildly surprised that the boy caught on to what I was trying to get across. I underestimated him, thinking he was just gonna go on a spiel about friendship or whatever but it seems he's smarter than I let on.

I should put some faith into my jinchuuriki, every once in a while.

Looking back at the grinning boy, all shine and bright energy like the sun, I felt a throb of fondness for him. He came from broken roots yet still had it in him to bounce back, forgive and wish for a better future.

"Naruto," I called out to him. "Can I tell you something?"

The ball of energy tilted his head as he let out a noise of agreement and stepped nearer to me.

We were just a foot's distance away, his face even closer as he leaned in to listen to what I was about to tell him.

I took the chance of being in such close proximity to put my lips on his left cheek, right on top of those face whiskers. His skin was warm and supple with baby-fat. Fortunately, his face left a better taste on my lips than his hand did.

As I pulled away I confessed finally, "I think you're really cute."

The blonde took a few seconds to collect himself before sputtering and blushing madly, shooting me embarrassed glares and accusing fingers.

I could only laugh as the blush that tinted my own cheeks happened to be half-genuine.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hiroki is a true romantic, ain't he? All joking aside, the Genin Arc officially starts now since we'll be seeing the team placements in the next I have a very important question to ask all of you:
> 
> Would you like to see Hiroki in a team with canon characters from the series, and if so who? If not, then I'll just put him in a team with OCs because that is what I had originally planned for this story. Just be warned that if you wish to see a canon character in Hiroki's team that the next update might take longer than usual since I have to re-plan a lot of things!
> 
> So this chapter...Kimiko in her life was obviously a sexually promiscuous person who enjoyed attention of all kinds so it's no wonder she's subconsciously trying to build up her harem as Hiroki haha. Although you can see that Hiroki is purposefully trying manipulate and force this sort of reliance for him in Hinata and Naruto (a huge red flag on an abusive relationship) by making it seem as if he's the only one who truly understands them and cares for them. Our main protag is also a flaming hypocrite, judging Mizuki on his traitorous ways when Hiroki is just as bad, perhaps even worse considering the grand scale he works on (which will be explained in later chapters). Again, I'd like to stress that Hiroki is a morally grey, bordering amoral sometimes, character which means that the way they see "right and wrong" is completely different from most people. They only do things to achieve their own goals and sometimes their way of going about it hurt people, sometimes it doesn't. It all comes down to achieving what they want and I guess you could say that Hiroki is still trying to make a clear goal for himself, only having faint musings of "world domination" in his mind. This could be taken that he may be more dangerous this way or perhaps he's more lenient since he's still finding purpose in his new life.
> 
> Anyways I'd just like you all to know that I really appreciate all the support like follows and comments! Please continue since that's the only way I'll know that you all actually like this story and wish for me to continue!


	5. Queen's Speech

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Oh Jesus, oh Lord, oh Jesus  
> A couple of snakey friends just Adam and Eve'd us

"Team 11! Hatori Mairu!"

A young girl with shoulder length, black hair and eyes hidden behind glasses jerks at hearing her name called. A few of the meaner children snicker at her expense.

"Suzuki Tennyuu!"

Caramel brown hair lifts itself to reveal a sleepy, green eyed boy. The small few of his admirers curse at not being placed with him.

"And Kuroda Hiroki!"

This time, a loud uproar is caused by the Kuroda boy's placement; his fangirls enraged that Fate- or some other being like the Hokage- had not put them together with their Number One Obsession. It was a tragedy!

The three newly-made genin took the opportunity to gather near each other, actually near the girl's desk, and give each one an assessing glance.

After the rest of the teams were made, Iruka- who looked disheveled but moderately fine for being literally stabbed in the back- dismissed them all and told them to wait for their jounin sensei in specific areas.

For Team 11, this had been right outside the Academy gates.

"I'm Kuroda Hiroki, nice to meet you." The wispy, lilac haired boy introduced after the three got situated by the gates. His hair looked suspiciously done up with its well placed curls and slight hint of hairspray.

Tennyuu, who was sitting down and leaning back on a wall with a knee pulled toward him as the other laid out straight, snorted derisively.

"Sure, pretty boy. Cut out the act, don't need you trying to play goody-goody if you plan on sticking with us in the team."

Imperceptibly to the two other genin, Hiroki narrows his eyes at the brunette's mocking tone. His smile doesn't falter, however. It never truly does.

"I don't know what you mean, Tennyuu-kun. I just want to start off on the right foot, seeing as teamwork is the basis of all Konoha ninja."

The meek girl that would have disappeared into the background had she not spoken jumps into the conversation, "Tennyuu, I think that Kuroda-san is right. It would be nice if we all got along."

The shy girl pleads with the brunette through her eyes before directing her gaze at Hiroki. Then, seeing said boy's grateful look aimed her way, she blushes under the cover of her thick hair and even thicker glasses.

"Neeeeeng," The brunette drawls out after seeing the girl's pleading gaze. "If it makes you feel better, Mairu, then fine."

The lilac haired boy looks back at Tennyuu, even more smiley now that the other boy chose to cooperate, "Do you have any special abilities, Tennyuu-kun?"

"What, like kekkei genkai? Not really. Me and Mairu are from civilian families, unlike Mr. Hotshot over here who's from a clan family."

Deep, brown orbs shift their gaze between the two civilian born genin, assessing in a way that seemed harmless and mostly curious.

"Hm." Hiroki lets out a small noise after a while, the girl still blushing and the boy picking at the ground beneath him.

"I'm not from a clan as prestigious as the Hyuuga, so I think you're assumptions about me may be more extravagant than you'd think."

The haori-clad boy then directs attention off himself swiftly, "You two are childhood friends, I take it?"

Despite the innocent lilt Hiroki's voice had asked the question, his teammates seemed to recoil at his suggestion of their relationship.

The two stuttered and stumbled through a reply before Mairu spoke up, "A-actually, yes, we are. We live right next door to each other, so it was kind of natural for us to become friends, I think. I am actually kind of relieved that me and Tennyuu are in the same team...Not like I wished for Kuroda-kun not to be here! I am very glad to be with both of you!"

The lilac haired boy observed the two other's reaction with careful scrutiny, the brunette's blush deepening from the girl's words as she spoke of him wistfully. Inscrutable thoughts flitted through Hiroki's eyes, though none but himself would know what they were.

"You both can call me Hiroki, by the way." After the two were done blushing and making weird noises, Hiroki turned on his heel and moved to the side before he looked at the two of them from his peripherals with a small smile.

Suddenly, like trade winds or unexpected plot twists, a man with a bandana wrapped around his brown hair and a senbon sticking out from his lips appeared before them. The man appeared dangerously near to where Hiroki had stood, which made the boy's sudden movement seem like he had expected the man to pop up right there. That observation clearly went over everyone's heads by the man's flashy entrance, however.

"The name's Shiranui Genma, don't wear it out." The man, that all three assumed to be their jounin sensei, declared with a voice even and confident. "And you three brats are under my care! I'll try not to break any of you...too early."

The three genin's first impression of their sensei was: annoying (Tennyuu), scary (Mairu), and unexpected (Hiroki).

* * *

First off, who the hell let a toukubetsu jounin teach a genin squad? Toukubetsu jounin were a step below actual jounin, granted the title only after showing a specialty in an area. I had no idea what Genma's specialty was, now that I think about it.

Eyeing the bandana wearing man, I voiced my question (albeit more fitting for the character I was trying to pull off), "Genma-san, are you our jounin sensei?"

"Yes and no," The man eyed me carefully before continuing. "Yes I am your sensei but no I'm not a jounin. Just a toukubetsu jounin but apparently that was enough to get landed with you guys…"

The way he mumbled out and trailed off that last part had me grinning a bit. Though the incredulous look the other two were sharing didn't seem so amused.

"Neng?! If you're not a jounin jounin, why are you teaching us?" Tennyuu hissed out. At least he wasn't the Naruto type that barked out obvious things and repeated them, instead taking the Sasuke approach and demanding answers with a harsh tongue.

Suddenly, a glint of metal flew through the air and pinned Tennyuu's blue, cotton shirt to the wooden fence behind him.

"I'm not jounin jounin, kid," Genma sneered back. "But I'm damn good enough and close enough to still be your teacher. Anyways, the full reason is classified and if you plan on finding out soon, you should train a bit more."

How classic, my mind drawled, Striking fear over the kid who badmouthed you to assert dominance. Men, hah!

I completely ignored the fact that the body I currently hosted would be one of those men that I scoffed at.

"Tennyuu!" Mairu's high pitched voice cried out. I let a look of surprise wash over my own face, if only to hide the fact that I had seen Genma quickly draw out the senbon from his mouth and throw it while everyone else was looking at Tennyuu's distraction of a question.

"What was that for?! Neng?!" Tennyuu growled out while smartly not wiggling around because of the senbon that harbored dangerously close to his head.

Genma walked, no swaggered, up towards the still growling boy and pulled out the senbon to dislodge him. He stuck the needle back into his mouth and turned around.

Without looking at us, he said, "Meet you all in Training Ground 6 in five minutes. Anyone not there in the allotted time will face punishment. Ready, set, go!"

As quickly as he had appeared, the man shunshined out leaving a swirl of leaves behind.

"But Training Ground 6 is near the main gate, on the other side of the village." Mairu whispered out, worry tinging her voice.

I shifted my eyes to glance at the two of them. From the memories I could dredge up of them at my time in the Academy, Tennyuu was a boy who was okay all around, his taijutsu was only ever slightly above average. Perhaps it was because of his natural advantage of having a male biology or something but if we kept a quick pace we'd both be able to make it to the training grounds in just under five minutes, maybe. It was Mairu, who was like Sakura intellectually and physically, that would be the problem.

She'd naturally be left behind because of her obvious physical disadvantages. Even if she hauled ass and pushed as much chakra as she could into those legs it was uncertain if we'd make it in time. In fact, it would be a complete gamble on whether or not she knew how to augment her strength and speed with chakra at all.

Clever, Genma, I thought as I continued to analyze the situation at hand, Testing us on the first day. Even that Kakashi didn't do this to his kids.

The senbon-eater most likely got our profiles beforehand, detailing our strengths and weaknesses so it was only a matter of course that he'd know his team had two athletic boys and an intellectually capable girl. He wanted to see if me and Tennyuu would leave Mairu behind, to complete the task given to us in exchange for leaving a comrade.

These damn Konoha bastards and their obsession with teamwork and loyalty.

"If we hurry, me and Tennyuu-kun could probably make it but," I started but was cut off immediately by the green-eyed boy's sudden shout.

"No! We are not leaving Mairu behind! Screw that asshole anyways, if he thinks we can all get there in five minutes." He stood up and huffed out, crossing his arms and looking every bit like a child who didn't want to do his chores.

"It's fine, guys, really. I don't want to get you all in trouble with Genma-sensei just because I can't keep up." Mairu tried to remedy. Mainly looking towards Tennyuu to calm him down (which he did, if the tense line of his shoulders disappearing was any evidence).

"Mairu-chan, I don't think we should leave you behind either. We're a team now so we should stick together, even for something as small as this. I'm sure Genma...sensei," I added after quickly realizing that I needed to put his name with an honorific. "Would understand if we got there a little late."

The black haired girl looked at me appreciatively, a blush peeking out from under her glasses.

"That's what I've been saying…" Tennyuu grumbled out near us.

Thus, we hurried along together to get to Training Ground 6.

* * *

"Eleven minutes." Genma called out as we finally reached our destination. He was in the front entrance of the clearing and was looking at the sky boredly before seeing us.

"That's six more minutes than I allowed and also six more laps you all will be running." He continued in that bored tone of his.

Of course, it was Tennyuu who lashed out first and shouted despite all of us running here at the fastest pace we can manage. Maybe he was more like Naruto afterall?

"What the hell?! How can you expect us to get from one side of the village to the other in five minutes, especially with Mairu? None of us can do that weird, swirly-leaf trick you did and disappear!" Though my face displayed distaste to agree with Tennyuu, I knew that in actuality I could have easily done that "swirly-leaf trick" and made it here and back five times over in the span it took for us to jog here. Maybe even more given that we used the civilian routes, not at all using the roof tops.

"Well if you thought you could have made it here alone, why didn't you?" Genma challenged despite not breaking out of his nonchalant air.

"Because," Tennyuu narrowed his eyes at the senbon-eater. "Because I didn't want to leave Mairu behind. Got a problem with that?"

I jumped in before the toukubetsu jounin could think that I wasn't thinking about teamwork, "We already agreed amongst ourselves that we would stick together and suffer the punishment for coming late, Genma-sensei."

"Then no more complaining and get to your punishment then. That's twenty laps around this field and the six more from coming late." The toukubetsu jounin drawled out, eyes flinty in a way that was probably meant to look menacing. In all honesty, he just looked attractive. I'll give it to him, for someone that wasn't that important of a character, he was good looking in all his tall, brunette glory.

Maybe this wasn't the time to get all weird about my teacher, however, as I saw Tennyuu get even more pissed off.

Mairu cut off the boy's retort, though, "Genma-sensei! I'm sorry, it wasn't their fault! I just, I'm… I can't keep up with them if they left without me and I told them it was okay if they did but they still stuck with me! I can do the laps by myself, I'll even do their share!"

Her hands were pulled up to her chest and even from where I was standing, a few meters away from her, I could see her fingers trembling a bit.

"That's eighteen laps added to your twenty, Mairu-chan. You know that, right?" Genma looked down on the girl's nodding head. Tennyuu looked completely pissed off, Mairu was near crying, and I was trying to put on my best face of displeasure.

The man looked between all three of us before sighing and breaking out into a smirk, his hand going to his side as his hip jutted out.

Around the senbon still in his mouth, he told us all, "Congratulations. I don't have to send you brats back to the Academy afterall."

There was shock (Tennyuu), confusion (Mairu), and feigned surprise by way of overdramatic gasp while holding my hand up near my mouth (Me) at the man's words.

"That's a mean joke, Genma-sensei." I laughed out, trying to break the awkward silence after the revelation of this teamwork test. At least we didn't have to do a shitty bell test or I really would have tried to knock the man out just so I could have an excuse to go through his belongings.

"Ah, ah. But it wasn't a joke, kid. If you two would have left little Mairu-chan behind, I would have no choice but to fail you."

Mairu looked side to side spastically before asking, "But, why, Genma-sensei? Why would we fail because of that?"

"You're the smart one in the group, figure it out." He answered offhandedly before slouching off towards the center of the training ground.

The bespectacled girl looked down thoughtfully for a second while I glanced around at our surroundings and Tennyuu still grumbling about a "shitty needle" or something.

"Ah!" She finally 'looked underneath the underneath', seeing the test for what it really was as she jogged after Genma. "Genma-sensei! You were testing our teamwork, or more likely, our loyalty right?"

Tennyuu and I followed suit and gathered around the man, "Mm. It's important to finish a mission, and most times the mission has to come first, but it's also important to protect your comrades and never leave each other behind. Selfishness isn't something I want any of you doing or thinking. That kind of thing only breeds trouble, ya hear."

We all nodded at his stopgap lesson, if only a little hesitantly.

'Selfishness' my ass, I still thought as I pretended like his words of wisdom actually affected me.

Everyone was selfish, whether it came to money, power, or even love. There is something in this world that everyone wants like reciprocated love or material possessions. Selfishness defines humanity in a way, it gives us purpose and meaning.

A moment of introspection washed over me: What was my purpose, then? What selfishness did I have that drove me to continue on in this world?

The cynical part of me (which is nearly all of me) scoffed and thought of wealth and power, the usual things that I sought after even in my previous life. This world wasn't much different. Sure, the crazies were packing heavy and loaded with time-space jutsu and spontaneous matter creation but in the end this world was driven with money and human greed. Konoha, as well as the other villages, had no way to properly function if there weren't people paying for their services.

No wonder people went missing-nin. Especially in "rougher" villages where the cost of living was too high and sequentially no one, not even the ninja, could afford being in that country anymore. From what I remember about Water Country, with the poverty-stricken Wave and the brutality of that jinchuuriki Mizukage, it isn't all too surprising to know that their ninja defected as a commonalty.

Zabuza, for all his brutish nature implied, was actually fighting for a good cause. Wanted to save Kiri and upheave the bloody air surrounding it. That was his purpose in life and to achieve it he had to commit multiple acts of violence and murder.

Then what about me? It was selfish enough for me to even exist, in this boy's mind and flesh. Who was Kuroda Hiroki before his entire being was wiped and replaced by a foreign substance? Unwanted and abnormal. If anyone were to access all that I knew, I'd be dead before I could even blink.

The thought of my existence and probable death jumbled around in my mind then interrupted by the smooth voice of Genma.

"If there's one thing I can teach you three, it's that the good die young, but the truly good live on forever in the hearts of those they've touched."

My eyes slinked onto the bulk of the man, so sincere with his words and wholeheartedly believing everything that he said.

Villains get remembered too, asshole. 'The good die young', huh? Lucky me that I'm a complete and utter terrible human being then.

My cynical side threw its head back and laughed and laughed.

* * *

Suzuki Tennyuu thought himself to be a simple boy. He liked to sleep, liked the food his mother made, and liked pretty things.

Tease him all you want but he'll never take back that time he complimented Ino's hair and said it looked like a storybook princess, even when people accused him of trying to get a fangirl of his own (which he did, eventually, as he grew into himself).

It was probably why he liked Hatori Mairu so much. The dark haired girl wore plain, black glasses and never fussed about things like popularity or social grace. Simple. When she had tied her hair up and took off her glasses to help him clean the class one day, he was surprised by her sudden cuteness. Pretty.

So why, then, did Kuroda Hiroki rub him the wrong way?

He'd never admit it but his first impressions of the boy was that he was kind of cute. Pretty even. The boy had long fingers that would tuck back his styled hair behind his ears. His features were effeminate, the complete opposite of Tennyuu's own boyish charm. Large, glossy, chocolate brown eyes. Freckled, pale skin. Pink lips that were never chapped and had a slight shine to them, like dewed rose petals.

Tennyuu can't deny that puberty had hit him already- as did many of the other boys that suddenly had crushes and girlfriends- so he knew that the fluttery feeling he got in his chest when Hiroki introduced himself that morning had to be some measure of attraction.

Maybe love?

Only time could tell.

Most would be overjoyed at the prospect of being on a team with two people they had a crush on. The green eyed boy only felt trepidation.

For all of Hiroki's elegant charms, it was clear that he had attracted more than just one teammate that day. Mairu had blushed, even more than usual, every time the lilac haired boy would put his attention on her. For someone like him, who had known the girl all his life, he knew that if she didn't like him already then she would eventually. Especially with just how fucking friendly Hiroki was!

The entire practice that day- which was mainly just body conditioning like push ups and stretches- the lilac haired boy laughed, smiled, and petted both Tennyuu and Mairu. Hands that would land on their heads and pat their backs would be expected from close friends but the boy had only just met them! At least, Hiroki had only properly met the two today.

Tennyuu comes to the conclusion that his love for Mairu must be stronger than the attraction he feels for Hiroki. It must be why that, despite how appealing Hiroki looked, he felt on guard around the other boy. And that it was jealousy that made him uncomfortable every time the girl and other boy interacted.

Yeah, that must be it.

Stupid, confusing, conflicting emotions. Neng!

The caramel haired boy also thought that Hiroki was entirely correct when he said that he wasn't anything special earlier. The other boy got tired almost as easily as Mairu and when they lightly sparred, no weapons and nothing below the waist, he had won easily. Tennyuu didn't think of himself as a taijutsu genius, far from being anywhere near the Uchiha, but he had thought that Hiroki would have been better than this. He thought that Hiroki usually kept up with the Uchiha during their time in the Academy. Then again, if he could recall, Hiroki never won in a spar against the Uchiha either.

Maybe Tennyuu truly did overestimate the other boy. Or perhaps he was just holding back?

But that couldn't be it, right? There was no reason for Hiroki to hide anything.

Though as the dark haired boy turned to look at the other boy, talking and laughing with Mairu, he felt that perhaps Hiroki was just complex. A faint tingle of uncertainty thrummed in him. He liked simple things and that was that. Perhaps that was why he felt uncomfortable around him and had to act overly brash and act out around the chocolate eyed boy.

Unbeknownst to the boy and the other two genin, their sensei was observing them all with a far more calculating gaze than he gave off. Especially scrutinizing the Kuroda boy.

* * *

"Whose hair is this? This is not mine."

Hinata's thin fingers pinched a strand of black hair. The girl's usual soft look was instead tight and on edge despite her calm tone.

Recently she's been getting more and more aggressive with me, I thought as the girlfriend bore a demanding look into me.

"Your hair is black and straight too, isn't it?" I held up my two hands in my defence. Hinata's face didn't even budge. She knew that her hair wasn't that long.

(Though she's grown it out a bit after hearing that I liked longer haired girls. I personally enjoy people of any kind of hair length but it seems the person who started the rumor about Sasuke liking long haired girls carried over to me as well.

These days, Hinata's bowl cut hair grew out to sweep right over her shoulders.)

"Ah, I think that's from Mairu-chan. She's my teammate, remember?" I smiled awkwardly at her.

"Why was it on you, Hiroki-kun?" She demanded, voice still calm. Too calm.

"What was on him, Hinata-chan?" Another voice, much more raspy and boyish, asked. Naruto came up from behind me, both him and Hinata effectively blocking my two escapes from the alleyway.

I was heading home after training that afternoon until Hinata sniffed me out, with her Byakugan of course, and stopped me. Naruto must have just felt around for my chakra, something that he's told me he's figured out how to do.

"This Mairu-chan's hair was on Hiroki-kun's haori. Inside his haori, by the way. Naruto-kun, what do you think about this?" The pale eyed girl asked the boy, her whisper-like voice accentuating her displeasure.

"What?! Another person's hair was in there? How'd it get in there? We agreed that only me and Hinata can have you! I don't want to share with another person!" The blonde barked out, getting more and more angry with each word.

Before graduating from the Academy, the two had found out about each other. I was essentially "dating" the both of them. More open with Hinata in public and more secretive with Naruto when I snuck out at night.

(Only Tsuki knew of both my relationships. She just sighed and shook her head, blaming it on puberty and her genetics for giving me such good looks thus forever damning me with admirers.

Hibiki thought that I was sneaking off to have fun with friends and personally thought his side of my genes were pretty good too.)

There was natural competition between the two despite compromising and deciding to share me after I gave them the ultimatum of neither of them having me if they chose to fight each other. I hoped they would just accept our polygamous relationship since I couldn't give up on Hinata's adorable looks and Naruto's inevitable OP-ness. Thankfully, perhaps it was because of Hinata's own previous feelings towards Naruto, they both agreed that the three of us would be in this relationship together.

I was still more open with Hinata and more secretive with Naruto, though. The blonde understood it was because he's a jinchuuriki and didn't want me to be treated badly either. It was kind of heartwarming to feel his understanding and sincerity towards me, staying with me even if our relationship was a secret and I had to avoid him in public. I made it up to him by giving him more kisses (on the cheek because he's still a kid!) than I did to Hinata.

Both had grown to become quite dependent and overprotective of me however. Something that I honestly didn't see coming. I knew that I wanted them to need me but this kind of aggressive yet genuine love caught me off guard.

Oh well, I can make it work. I've always made it work before.

"Like I said, she's a teammate! Just a teammate! You know that I don't even look at anyone but you two, that I don't feel this way towards anyone but you two."

I inched backwards towards the wall beside me until I felt brick wall hit my back. The two closed in, taking the opportunity to corner me.

They both looked down on my slowly shrinking form with a sharp glare, assessing my words and picking out the truths. Finally, after a tense moment, their faces broke out into pleased smiles.

Hinata's face loosened up as her eyes drooped down and fingers roughly throwing the offending strand of hair to the side. Naruto reverted back to his usual hyper self, radiating warmth and cheekiness.

I still didn't relax at the sight. I knew these two much better than anyone else after all.

Right on cue, the two's eyes glinted as they pounced on me, crushing me in a hug and peppering me with kisses.

"Mercy! Please!" I yelled out.

* * *

From outside the alleyway, a group of boys chattered amongst themselves. It was the spiky-ponytailed boy who picked up on someone's screams from the alley they were gathered in front of.

"Do you guys hear that?" Shikamaru drawled out, cutting off Kiba's account of how his sister poured ice water on him this morning to wake him up.

After the wolfish boy shut up, Shikamaru walked into the alleyway and was surprised to see a smiley Hinata and Naruto and one disheveled looking Hiroki. He arched an eyebrow, his mind immediately coming up with conclusions on why Hiroki looked roughed up.

Perhaps Hinata and Naruto jumped him?

No, that can't be right. Hinata was his girlfriend and Naruto hardly interacted with the lilac haired boy.

It was far more likely that Hiroki had trained with his team and met up with Hinata afterwards, then bumped into Naruto while they were walking through the alley.

That makes much more sense.

"Naruto! What're you doing here, with Hiroki and Hinata too?" Kiba laughed out after seeing the boy's black haori dangling off his shoulders revealing his white undershirt and a yellow stain. He obviously didn't come up with the same conclusions that Shikamaru did. Chouji just chewed on his chips in greeting.

The lazy boy let out a suffering breath at his friends.

He had some flaws but at least he was better off than his friends, he thought to himself.

"I was just walking through until I saw these two, believe it!" Naruto yelled out, seemingly wanting to contend with Kiba's volume.

See, exactly as Shikamaru deduced.

"Do you guys want to eat BBQ? To celebrate us all graduating?" Chouji interjected. "I can have my uncle give us a discount."

The Akimichi owned most of the food establishments for ninja in Konoha so being the heir to such clan certainly had its benefits. Kami knows Hiroki had used that to his advantage on the nights when his mother cooked.

(Tsuki still finds it suspicious that every time she tries to cook, there's suddenly a coupon for an all-you-can-eat buffet at some restaurant hanging off the fridge.)

"Woah, seriously?! Yeah, let's go, Hiroki-kun!" The blonde tugged at the lilac haired boy's haori, messing it up right after Hiroki tried to fix it.

Shikamaru thought his suggestion to the other boy was weird. Why did he ask Hiroki? They weren't that close.

"That sounds pretty good. If Hinata-chan wants to go, then I definitely will too, though." Hiroki brushed off the other boy's question and looked to his girlfriend. Said girl gave a weird look to Naruto but ended up stuttering out an agreement.

At the restaurant, everything went back to normal.

That is, Kiba and Naruto argued, Chouji ate, the Day Couple flirted as innocently as ever, and the lazy boy pretended not to notice everything around him.

"Hey, that Day Couple over there." Shikamaru called out.

The two jumped almost imperceptibly had Shikamaru not been looking so closely and turned towards him.

"Haha, what did you call us, Shikamaru-kun?" Hiroki asked awkwardly.

"Day Couple. You know, because both of your names start with hi-, like day."

"R-right." Hinata responded a bit sheepishly. Naruto on the other hand was laughing his ass off for some reason, weirdo.

When the group of genin finished their meal and separated ways (Kiba and Naruto barreled off somewhere, The Day Couple strolled towards the Hyuuga compound, and Chouji and Shikamaru headed towards the Nara compound) the lazy boy thought it odd at how easily everyone acted that day. Normally, Naruto would have inspired someone to start a fight with him, usually Kiba, or at least annoy everyone to no end. Today everyone got on quite well.

A nagging buzz in the back of the boy's head told him that something's not right and to look into things further. That buzz was soon squashed by the boy's highest desire of wanting to sleep as well as thinking the effort too troublesome.

Man, spending all morning with Ino left him with no energy.

The two boys quickly picked up the pace towards the compound that promised rest and free snacks.

* * *

 **For all those who wanted Hiroki in Team 7! Please don't be disappointed and give up just yet! Yes, he may be on a team with two other OCs but trust me when I say that Team 7 is definitely going to be part of the story as heavily as you all may like (or may not like). I had to alter a few things from the original idea I had so please excuse any discrepancies that may pop up along the way such as plot holes or things like** Genmabeingajouninsensei **...**

**Anyways, I've been reading shoujo manga recently and if you couldn't tell I named the two OCs after them. I chose Genma because of numerous reasons but the main one that I'll disclose to all of you is that I think he's really cool. Haha, no really, I think he has that perfect personality that would cause a lot situations in the future between him and Hiroki that I think would be funny. Also, I'd like to stress that Hiroki really is a full grown adult on the inside so expect him to be all "weird" towards older characters in the story since he honestly doesn't feel any kind of sexual attraction towards anyone under 18. At most, he may think they're cute in a small animal kind of way like Hinata or think that they may be useful in the future like Naruto. I wouldn't say that Hiroki doesn't have any frivolous relationships that don't benefit him whatsoever- because he still spends time with other children his age- but he takes care to avoid them since he has a lot of work to do for a currently twelve year old boy.**

**Hinata and Naruto are totally starting to become quite the pushy partners though lol. I've always wished to see Hinata as the dominant one in a relationship and I think Hiroki inspires that in her. Naruto is already kind of a pushy character in my opinion, since he's used to breaking rules and trying to force people's attention on him/to acknowledge him. I'd also like to point out the fact that Hiroki still has fangirls so both gf and bf feel a constant pressure to defend their status.**

**I have another question for all of you again: Do you like the format that I've been writing this story in which it has alternating perspectives?**

**I do it because I think it would make it clearer to see the kind of impact Hiroki has on the story but at the same time I'm worried that it makes the story kind of confusing or, dare I say it, incoherent? I know that for myself, I hate it when I can't follow a story's timeline especially if they have a good plot. Please leave your answers in your reviews. Thank you!**

** Comments/Bookmarks/Kudos = Author Motivation = Faster Updates **


	6. Hills Have Eyes

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Your man on the road, he doing promo  
> You said keep our business on the low-low
> 
> I only call you when it's half past five  
> The only time that I'll be by your side  
> I only love it when you touch me, not feel me  
> When I'm fucked up, that's the real me

Tonight's the night.

Konoha was chill and cool that evening, its blue skies bleeding to deep, orange hues. I told Tsuki and Hibiki I was going out after dinner and went out back to pick up some of my stuff I had hidden in a trashcan earlier that week. Just to go over my supplies, there was a pack of shuriken and kunai that I strapped onto my thigh, ninja wire, and random protein bars. Chakra took up a lot of physical energy, something they didn't show you in the books. The thing I'm most surprised of after coming to this world is how the anime had always showed the characters panting for breath but then miraculously gain power and be up and ready to fight again with just sheer willpower. As if they ran on idealistic hero juices instead of sweat and blood.

(Naruto spills some of the hot water for his ramen onto his pants. He curses and whines at how shitty his luck is.)

After securing everything I silently jumped to the rooftops and started heading my way out of the village.

Now look here, it took some serious planning and intel gathering to even _know_ where to look for openings in the village's walls let alone know when and how you were going to pull it off. It took days of bribing kids with candy or dulled kunai as well as eavesdropping on jounin hotspots to find out that beyond the Uchiha clan compound there laid a small opening about sixty centimeters in height and fifty centimeters across. Just big enough for an adolescent boy to crawl through.

Apparently, it was used by the Uchiha kids- back when there were more than one of them running around- to sneak out and practice their Sharingan or clan fire jutsu in private. Well it looks like that crevice would be used for the same thing tonight; it's about time I bloodbended on actual human beings.

Getting to the opening wasn't too hard since shinobi patrol around that area relaxed a bit when the population went from a large family of ninety to a hundred dropped down to one overnight. It was just that you had to actually go _through_ the compound itself, in all its spookiness.

Oh, and Sasuke.

I looked over my shoulder to see if anyone was following me despite my precautions of concealing my chakra and wearing a light genjustu to make me blend in with my surroundings. It never hurt to be cautious, especially in a village full of trigger-happy idealists.

Seeing nothing behind me (figuratively speaking, there was Konoha's nightlife bustling below me) I continued to soar through the rooftops, footsteps landing so lightly to not make a single sound.

When I found myself just outside of the Uchiha compound I took my time to look at the home that housed not one, not two, but _three_ absolute psychoes. Uchiha Sasuke, Uchiha Obito, and Uchiha Madara.

Itachi's not on there because I firmly believe he is a pure hearted boy who did what he could to protect what he loved. And I get that the first two redeem themselves...but real talk? Sasuke, Obito, and Madara were like _the worst_ things that had happened to Konoha.

Now I sound as if I actually cared about this village when I really don't, I frowned to myself. I just had enough self-realization to know "bad" when I see it. I probably fall under that category anyways.

Having my fill of the nightmare house that bred these "bad guys", I quickly shunshin my way through the compound. My senses reach out to see if the resident Uchiha is in there, and surprise surprise! He is.

Sasuke was somewhere in the main house, blissfully unaware of me taking in the compound's dreary scenery. It was eerie seeing all these empty houses, gardens wilting, and ponds turning mossy. Like a rotting beast, once mighty and proud now decaying with time.

My eyes raked over the sight with only a detached curiosity. I wondered if the blood from the massacre had turned those ponds a deep red, like a Sharingan.

I blink slowly and shunshin to the furthest wall across the compound.

The small crevice is in front of me. From a glance, the vines and moss that creeped up along the side of the stone wall perfectly concealed the opening within. I reach out and give a precursory tug. The small vine lifts and reveals thicker, older vegetation below it.

Tilting my head and adding a bit of chakra into my fingers, I grasp a bundle of the thicker vines and tug away from the wall. At once, a large portion of the vines get peeled off and tossed haplessly to the side.

I'll come back and reattach them with glue or something later. Sasuke didn't seem the type to go strolling around and checking the walls of his _near_ empty compound so I didn't worry about him finding this. And even if he did, so what? For all he knows I don't even know where he lives.

I bend at my hips to peer inside the hole. It was a little crusty so I stuck a kunai in there to get rid of any spider webs or hanging roots. After judging my work to be 'good enough' I got on my knees and started crawling through.

The wall was a lot thicker than I thought it to be.

Obviously the village walls needed to be thick enough to defend from explosions but it felt as if I was crawling around in there for _hours_.

I came out the other end with messy hair and dirt caked on my hands and knees. Not pretty.

If Hinata or Naruto saw me right now they might just break up with me.

(Hinata stubs her toe on the fancy vanity that had been passed down from the previous matriarch, her father's grandmother. She curses inwardly and wonders if Hiroki even cared about traditional values and rites.

Whatever his values, she hopes that one day Hiroki would take her surname and finally be part of her family. She beams at her reflection.)

It took a few more minutes of stumbling around, combing through my hair and adjusting my haori to finally be satisfied with my appearance again to move on. I didn't want to rush but the longer I'm out here, the higher the risk of me getting caught.

Easily jumping through the tree branches at night, I spread out my senses as far as it will go to detect any kind of movement. I snap my eyes to my 2 o'clock, catching the slight thrum of civilian chakra in that direction.

What I came across was a father and daughter in a clearing. They seemed to be travelling merchants, if their wagon of goods were any indication, and made camp for the night. If only they knew that Konoha was no more than a few kilometers away. Then they would have been safely inside the village and not targeted by people like me.

The little girl yawned and went off somewhere I can't see from my viewpoint so I assumed she went to bed. The father it is then.

* * *

Yamada Takao had told his daughter to go to sleep. They would be moving immediately as the sun rose so that they'd reach Konoha quickly and meet up with his cousins there.

Work was hard to find in the Land of Wind so they had trekked all the way out here after hearing from Shio, Takao's cousin, that they'd be happy to give them a job at their pottery shop.

Being a merchant, Takao could sell off his other things before fully committing to life as a potter. But first they actually had to get there.

The night had a nice chill to it that was completely unlike the fierce gale of Sunagakure. The crickets chirped and every once in awhile, Takao can pick up a bird's call. For the first time in a long while, the man felt that things were finally going to get better for himself and his child.

* * *

After making sure the girl was asleep, the father stood up and went deeper into the woods.

I followed him like a shadow and waited for him to take a piss. When he pulled down his pants I politely averted my eyes until I heard the faint rustle of clothes being pulled back up.

The second he turned around I lifted my hand. His body went still and in an instant his eyes widened; I could feel his body's resistance through my fingertips. There was a grunt of protest so I quickly sealed his mouth shut with a twitch of my forefinger and jumped down to meet him.

My haori fluttered as I landed gracefully on the ground though I still held a firm control over his body. The shine of my hitae-ate caught his eye. Relief, confusion and then worry flashed through his face and I assumed he wondered what a Konoha-nin was doing out here, to him, in the middle of the night.

The sight of a small grin on my lips made the color drain out of his face. The noise coming from his throat dying out as he realizes his fate.

Bloodbending on a human, a full grown man, feels a little different but is essentially the same as with the bugs and rodents. Maybe it was because this was a civilian and not a ninja? Either way I could _feel_ the blood rushing through this man's veins as if I could see it like a Byakugan.

It wasn't really seeing, though. I guess it was more like _sensing_ the blood, the chakra, the power. The way it poured out of the man's heart with each thump and sped its way through his body lightning fast. It made me feel strong.

I twitched a few more fingers, making the man's body do an elaborate dance with flailing arms and wobbling legs. How do I make it so that it looks natural?

Fuck Sasori and Kankuro, this was true puppetry. True art!

A snicker slips through my lips and the man's face falls even lower, resignation settling deep in his bones.

I needed to make my bloodbending good enough to where I could make others believe they weren't being controlled like a puppet with strings. My fingers loosen and twirl at an even pace. This time the man juts out his left foot but his next few steps carry on smoothly. I lift my other arm and control the upper half of his body, making his arms swing.

Before long I had the man imitating Kakashi's signature slouch and had him walk around me. His hands were in his pant's pockets and his legs lifted one after the other in a slow crawl. As he passed by me I suddenly thought about how intimate this all was.

The man stops before me and his eyes dart around before landing down on me. I get a good look at the small wrinkles around his eyes and mouth, smile lines, and the salt-and-pepper stubble around his chin. His upper lip had dots of perspiration and his hair wild and dirty blonde, tied together loosely in a bun.

We are close enough that I feel his breath in my hair and the claminess of his skin radiates onto me. A familiar warmth fills my gut and I have to take deep breaths to slow my breathing. Intimate, indeed.

My eyes close and I force myself to refocus. Not now, damn it. Now's not the time to get horny just over a man being close to you. I'm still twelve in this body! I snap my eyes open and glance down quickly, thanking all the gods that I wasn't sporting a full on tent, just enough that my pants and haori covered it fine.

I look up and see a faint flush on the man's cheek. He saw my embarrassment. Involuntarily my face flushes pink, too.

With no further warning I jerk my hand upwards and the man slams onto a tree as if smacked by some invisible force.

"Enough of that." I bite out, pouting still that I'm under the mercy of prepubescent hormones.

* * *

In one hour and thirty two minutes, Kuroda Hiroki perfected his bloodbending.

In one hour and thirty three minutes, all that was left of Yamada Takao was a pile of gore and blood.

In one hour and fifty minutes, Kuroda Hiroki was back in the village. No blood could be found on his clothes.

In one hour and fifty five minutes, twelve seconds, ANBU had come out of their hiding place and cleanly dispatched the genin.

* * *

Ibiki runs his hand across his face as he reads through the report in his hands.

_Kuroda Hiroki, 12_

_Outside village walls. No record of leaving. Unknown where or what Kuroda did outside. Suppressed chakra when back in village. ANBU #00023 detected suppressed chakra, called in for backup at 23:42. Opening to outside found through Uchiha compound walls._

Ibiki thinks that the kid inside Room 2b was too young to be in Torture and Interrogation. Kids like him were only supposed to be here for a career tour, not to be interrogated on why they left the village without telling anybody.

If he was a lesser man, he'd have let out a sigh. Instead, he hands the report back to the ANBU who had given the folder to him. He looks into the one-way glass window and sees the boy sitting nervously in the metal chair.

The boy's reaction was so textbook it almost had him fooled. The scar faced man knew the kid was hiding something. He just had to sniff it out.

Ibiki inclines his head to another ANBU near the door, signalling him to enter the room.

The operative slinks inside soundlessly though the boy's brown eyes dart towards them, as if expecting him.

"State your name, age, rank, and ID number." The masked operative commands as he comes up across the table, taking a seat right across the boy.

"K-kuroda Hiroki. Twelve. Genin. 490440122. Umm, can I get my mo-"

The boy gets cut off by a kunai flying across his face, leaving a thin, red line. A small "eep!" escapes his lips and his eyes widen momentarily.

An injured, fear-stricken child. The perfect sympathy weapon. Ibiki's voice from an earpiece tells the ANBU to continue on.

"What were you doing outside the village walls?"

The boy shuffles a bit, "Nothing."

Same as before, there was no warning as the ANBU is suddenly in front of the boy. The masked man deftly ties the boy's hands to the arms of the metal chair with chakra wire and bound his neck to the back of the chair as well, where the metal had slots like a grate.

"Ouch! It hurts!" The lilac haired boy cries out, the wire around his neck tightening as he swallows nervously.

"What were you doing outside the village walls?" The ANBU asks again. Ibiki knows that this one was too lenient. If he had been in there, the kid would already be sporting bruises from not looking him in the eye.

"I told you! Nothing!" The boy spits out, obviously lying.

The porcelain of the ANBU mask shines in the dim lighting of the room, staring down at the stubborn boy. Withholding information from T&I will be something Kuroda Hiroki learns not to do. Let the punishment be his lesson.

A clamp- procured seemingly from nowhere- is placed in the boy's mouth making him open wide enough for his molars to be seen. The ANBU takes out a senbon from a pocket on his thigh and sticks it inside, the boy watching warily at his every move.

As the senbon needles itself between his gums the boy lets out a few whimpers.

_Twist. Twist. Twist._

The senbon digs deeper and deeper until there is a line of blood dripping out of the boys mouth.

The whimperings increase in volume until the boy is finally spasming from the pain. His fingers reach out towards the ANBU and the garbled noise makes the torture stop.

He calms down and the clamp is removed, making the boy slump forward in a heaving mess.

"Ready to talk?" The ANBU asks unsympathetically.

A meek nod is the answer.

The ANBU straightens and Ibiki enters the room, an air of dominance cloaking him.

"My name is Morino Ibiki. Enough about me, however, what I want to know is what a nice boy like you was doing breaking the law by taking an unsanctioned leave out of the village."

* * *

With each twist of the senbon in my mouth I threatened to just lash out at the offending hand. I forcefully stilled my hand from trying to bloodbend the fucker into a jumbled mess but it was just so, damned, _hard._

My fingers were digging into my palm and I could feel the warm wetness of my blood seeping through. I clenched my eyes shut as I whined and whimpered, hoping that they would just stop.

Stop it. Stop it. Stop it.

A brief flashback of my previous life surfaces then.

_Stop it. Get off me. It hurts it hurts it hurts…_

I cry out even louder, unintelligible whimpers muffled by the chakra wire across my neck and the clamp forcing my mouth open, making both my throat and jaw ache alongside multiple other pains on my body. Finally, I try to reach out my hand to tell the ANBU to stop or even just to remove the clamp. Anything to ease the pain.

The ministrations stop and the clamp is removed, a trail of my saliva sticking to the device as it's slowly pulled out of my mouth. My head drops down and my eyes finally open, glassy and distant as I gaze into my lap.

I unclench my fists and take a few needed breaths.

I decide then that I hate this masked man. I hate T&I. I hate _Konoha._

Who tortures a little boy just because they were caught outside the village!? And what's worse, they didn't even know what I was doing out there. For all they know I could have been picking out herbs for my sick friend and the only place they'd be found was right outside the walls.

Leaving the village labels you as a missing-nin, I knew. It meant that you were a free-for-all, anyone, especially your own village would be ordered to attack you on sight. Or at least call in for back up to drag your ass back to the village.

The punishment for treason or deserters was death. But I wasn't found guilty of anything, just charged with a crime.

"Ready to talk?" The asshole questions, their voice monotone but I swear I could hear a smug tilt in their tone.

I bite back the need to tell them to fuck off and instead nod.

The metal wall across from me is pushed open and the infamous T&I expert comes swaggering in.

"My name is Morino Ibiki. Enough about me, however, what I want to know is what a nice boy like you was doing breaking the law by taking an unsanctioned leave out of the village."

What the _fuck_ was that?

I had to stop from barking out a laugh at his stupid display of alpha male behavior. So is he supposed to be the 'good cop' while the other jackass who stuck needles into my mouth is the 'bad cop'?

Maybe there wasn't a good cop, just an even badder cop.

"I-I promised my Kaa-san I wouldn't tell!" I cry out, falling into my 'pitiful child' persona.

"Well you should know that what you did is a capital offense and could be persecuted with capital punishment." Ibiki levels a heavy stare at me. "In other words, death."

Yeah, yeah. And you should know that you technically don't know what I was doing out there as well as clearly seeing that I didn't ditch the village.

"Really? Then I guess I have to tell you…"

Ibiki pulls out another metal chair and sits across from me. The ANBU's chakra signature exits the room.

"Like I said, my Kaa-san told me not to tell but I've been...trying to awaken my kekkei genkai."

An instance of recognition flits through Ibiki's face. So he knows about the Kuroda clan kekkei genkai?

"You mean your clan's bloodbending abilities?" Ibiki questions bluntly.

"A-ah, yes. Kaa-san told me that it could be awakened by killing something. I didn't know if I'd get the chance to inside the village, since bugs didn't really count, so I thought that if I went outside the walls I'd come across a rabbit or boar." My voice was strained due to still being tied down to the cool metal of the chair. I didn't dare ask to have them removed knowing that it'd probably be met with a scoff at my face.

"Awakened? So you have inherited your clan's kekkei genkai ability?" Ibiki's voice was laced with urgency.

"...Wait, does that mean Kaa-san doesn't have it?" If that's the case then all this time she wasn't holding back on me during our sparring. She just couldn't bloodbend at all.

No wonder she wanted to keep my kekkei genkai a secret. If the village had thought that the Kuroda bloodbending ability died alongside my grandmother- whose stories during the war was told to me by Tsuki- then I would have been free to live a normal life. As normal as a shinobi could get anyways.

I fucked up. Massively. Danzo was still around lurking in the shadows and not to mention Orochimaru and his little-boy-stealing ass.

Ibiki fixed me with a grim nod, "Kuroda Tsuki has no ability in your clan's kekkei genkai at all. Her reason for hiding her son's proclivity however…"

I could pick up on the ominous threat that lingered in the air from his words. Tsuki would get in big trouble for keeping my bloodline limit quiet, especially when she knew that the village wanted to continue our line.

"N-no. It isn't like she was hiding something because she wanted to keep it a secret. She was just protecting me." I forced tears to appear, for the first time since being tied down and interrogated. Perhaps even the first time at all in this life.

My eyes went glassy but I took care not to have anything drip down my cheek. Tsuki did a great deal for me: train me and teach me about my kekkei genkai. The least I could do was pay her back for all she's done. Paying back what I owe and being able to train more, that's right. That's what I told myself at least.

"Kaa-san said that the village doesn't see our clan as people, but as monsters. She said that if it ever got out that I had our clan's kekkei genkai awakened then I would be treated like dirt. Like a demon." My voice trembled as my brows furrowed together.

I held back the urge to say, _Like a jinchuuriki_. If only because I'd be in deeper shit if I confessed that I knew about the S-ranked, yet poorly kept, secret of Naruto's being.

Ibiki's face relaxed a sliver. The tight wrinkles around his mouth slackened a millimeter or so and it was that which told me he felt some sympathy for me. He must have known how the village treats Naruto and connected that with how the village would treat me.

The leather clad man closes his eyes and breathes for a bit before lifting his gaze at me. The suffocating aura of intimidation fades and is replaced with an icy detachment. I don't know what was worse.

"Kuroda Hiroki. Your reason for sneaking out of the village's walls is excusable, but," Ibiki seemed to be letting me off easy though I was determined to keep my face blank. No relief until I know _for sure_ that I'm in the clear.

"Sneaking out and not reporting a hole in the village's defenses is a crime still punishable by law. If you have been any older, then you would have been tried for deserting, at the least, and treason, at the worst. As it stands, we cannot let you free with just a warning. After leaving this facility you must report to the Hokage's office tomorrow at noon. Failure to comply will immediately place a 'search-and-kill-on-sight' order upon you. _Do_ try to prioritize this hearing."

Well, shit. Guess I'm not in the clear just yet.

* * *

**Inspiration comes to me during the weirdest times, honestly...This time around it was from doing my laundry while a storm was raging outside. I thought about what it meant to be this little human in this force of nature and soon that all jumbled up into this mess!**

**Haha anyways, I'm back but I still have a job and other issues outside this site to worry about so please don't have these high expectations from me. All your reviews mean a lot and I'm always amazed that there are actual people out there reading my stuff! But please, I'll repeat it once more: try no to take this story too seriously. More likely than not, Hiroki is going to be this OP character that some of you might compare to a Mary Sue...BUT! Like in my first chapter's notes, this story revolves around a shitty character and their shitty luck, so maybe you all might stay to see what kind of punishment I can dish out on our poor protagonist (antagonist?).** **Expect a rocky road ahead for our little fluff ball of murder!**

**About this chapter, "idealistic hero juices"? Hiroki isn't trying to be weird or anything that is just literally how they describe things sometimes. And about Sasuke, Obito and Madara: I actually _adore_ Madara and Obito is not too bad. So it's not my own feelings projecting itself out in this chapter (though I do agree that Sasuke is an absolute dick and Itachi is an angel).**

**Hiroki reveals that he's actually self aware! He knows he's stereotypically "evil" but he also understands that the world he lives in now is also choked full of villains as well! Hinata and Naruto don't really see that side of him but I always thought that Hinata would have traditional values and would have liked to marry Hiroki into her clan. Carry on the bloodline and have kids who name's start with "Hi-" and all that. As for Hiroki's "values", there's something like that in him. Hiroki doesn't peep when people pull down their pants at least lol.**

**You can catch a glimpse of his crazy when talking about art, though. I had that one episode from Criminal Minds, "The Lesson", in mind when thinking of how bloodbending could turn a person into a kind of marionette. That crazy may just factor in the future because Hiroki hates Konoha now. Maybe not the people or maybe he was just directing his anger somewhere...**

**As always, thanks for reading!**

**Comments/Bookmarks/Kudos = Author Motivation = Faster Updates**


	7. Clocks Go Forward

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Darkness bleeding in, the sun is getting low  
> No diamonds in the trees, only leaves of gold  
> And our long days in the heat haze starts to fade

 

The lilac haired boy, donned in black like a shinigami, exits the grey building and enters the still night. The dirt-paved street below him does not leave an imprint of his footsteps and the shuffle of his haori is nonexistent.

His eyes are creased into the familiar lines of a smile but the street is empty. Not a single soul in sight. He is smiling and his steps never falter but the scars on his neck and wrist tell another story.

* * *

Tsuki was waiting behind the door as I opened it. Her lean figure nearly jumps out at me as she grasps my shoulders and searches my face with a hard look.

Her eyes fall on the thin, red line on my neck.

"You...you are back." She states obviously. Her eyes dart back to mine, emotions I cannot pinpoint swirling through those depths.

Tsuki is a woman who is pragmatic and no-nonsense as a person can be. Saying something as obvious as that to me, despite her steady tone and unwavering face, I could tell she was worried sick about my absence.

"I'm back." I answer, if only to give her the relief of hearing my voice.

My smile trembles a bit as the weariness of bloodbending and being tortured catches up to me. Tsuki notices this and carries me, princess-style and all, up to my room. I didn't object because I didn't want to turn away her kindness and honestly speaking, I was about to collapse any second now.

After putting me into my bed and tucking me in, she kneels by my bedside and fixes a stern gaze at me.

"Torture and Interrogation sent me a carrier hawk and told me about your situation. I am upset that you did not tell me your plans for the night but," Tsuki's expression softens as much as a stone can soften. "But I am more upset that you had gotten caught. Nonetheless, I am genuinely impressed that you managed to divert any real punishment for leaving the village."

My eyes look at her for a bit and I give one, last smile before saying, "I'm glad I'm not being locked up or executed either, Kaa-san. Goodnight."

I turn my head towards the beige ceiling and close my eyes, not falling asleep immediately because of the sudden pain that crept alongside my body. I could sense Tsuki stay in the room for a few more minutes, doing who-knows-what. After that she left with no audible click of the door, instead my own senses feeling her chakra signature leave.

* * *

I slept until an hour before noon. My own internal clock regulating my cycle and jolting me awake.

A prickly itchiness that bordered along pain and irritation was the first thing that I noticed as I awoke. Particularly around my throat and wrists. Pulling my hands up to my face, I examined the faint lines that now decorated my skin.

Pushing away my sheets and scrambling to my vanity, I stretched my neck and lo-and-behold, there was the same kind of swollen, ruddy, pink line across my neck. I traced the line with my index finger, gently feeling the slight ridge that was forming from the uneven skin.

It wasn't _ugly_ , but it sure as hell wasn't that _nice_ to look at. Now my skin is marred, like a broken doll. Sometimes those dolls are thrown away because of their compromised looks, but other times they could be worth more than the original due to the grotesque, new kind of beauty they held.

The corners of my lips tilt up a little. I'm determined to be the latter. These marks are proof that I survived this encounter with adversity. And you damn well know I'll survive the next one. And the next one after that.

I dug around the drawers of my vanity until I got out three silk ribbons, two were a lilac color similar to my hair and the last one a solid black. Fastening them on, I tied the lilac ones on my wrist (which was kind of hard doing it on yourself! Shadow clone jutsu!) and the noir colored one around my neck. I even made sure to make the cute ribbon with each knot, if only to accentuate my new look.

Looking into the mirror, I smiled.

 _The Hokage Tower is busy today_ , I thought as a chuunin rushes past me, his face blocked by the stack of papers he was carrying.

I went up to the receptionist and opened my mouth to speak but the middle-aged woman just points a fingers up some stairs to the left of me, not once looking up from the clipboard in front of her. My mouth closes and I realize that the Hokage _should_ be expecting me. It's not everyday a kid, barely just genin, ends up being tortured by T &I.

The Hokage's office was guarded by two jounin- as well as the other five ANBU whose subdued chakra was tucked away in the corners of the room inside- and as they looked down at me with an assessing glance, I decided to speak before getting guided around like a dog again.

"I'm Kuroda Hiroki. Morino-san said that I was to speak with the Hokage around this time?" I added a small tilt to my head as I asked innocently. Although I was snickering on the inside after seeing the guards' eyes widened at hearing Ibiki's name.

The two gave a curt nod and opened the door, letting a small whoosh of wind escape and push my bangs back a little.

Sarutobi Hiruzen, the Sandaime Hokage, sat behind his paper-filled desk, waiting for me. I felt the ANBU chakra tense a little, as if expecting me to lash out or something. Instead I just skipped into the room and took a seat across the old man.

"Hokage-sama." I said while bowing politely. I figured it best to keep a smile as well.

"Kuroda Hiroki. You must know what you're here for, yes?"

Hiruzen's face held no visible malice in it, just tired if the slight strain around his brow was anything to go by. His voice however, was as cold and unfeeling as steel.

I decided to drop my act too if he didn't want to pretend to be the kind, old man he always presented himself to be whenever he came to speak in the Academy. I won't pretend to be the airheaded, innocent boy everyone thinks I am either for the moment.

The smile on my face slipped into a apathetic line as I responded, "About my punishment for something that I was only accused of."

"Leaving the village walls is punishable by law in itself." He said firmly, his eyes boring into me with the same stare only veterans could pull off. "Not only that, you snuck into the Uchiha compound as well as masking your chakra. That is at least a B-rank technique."

My head tilts to the side for a moment as I take in all his words. Guess they're gonna get me for all the little nitpicky things as well, huh?

"You got me there." I say at last. No use denying it at this point when I've already been through the torture and interrogation already.

The old man before me just lets go of a sigh and looks down at his desk before speaking again, "Kuroda-kun, normal procedure has it that you be incarcerated for at least a year with a three year probation period after. However, since you are a special circumstance, there are other options that I will offer to you."

Seriously!? They're shitting me if they think leaving the village was worth a year in jail! The Uchiha Compound is nearly devoid of all valuables anyways, what's there to steal if you actually break in and enter? Don't even get me started on the whole 'masking your chakra' thing, if _that_ is a B-ranked technique I wonder why nearly all chuunin and even some OTHER genin- not to name any names- could pull it off? Some shitty B-rank if you asked me.

The Sandaime looks back up at me and I suddenly feel another chakra signature appear behind the door. One that I was desperately trying to avoid until I could eliminate them when I was stronger.

"Danzo, come in." Hiruzen calls out, the doors opening for the bandaged man as he hobbles over next to Hiruzen.

The man who just entered seemed weak and fragile, as if ready to topple over from the smallest push. I know better though than to even begin to think the man before me as anything but _deadly_. Neither of them were what they seemed at first glance and if it wasn't for my ability to pick up the tremendous amounts of chakra, one vile and the other sturdy, then I wouldn't have been able to confirm their lethalness.

"Shimura Danzo is my close associate who recommended that instead of letting your obvious talents go to waste, we use it as efficiently as possible."

My eyes flicked between the two geezers. Please, please, please don't tell me what I think is happening is what is going to be happening.

Bandage-face looks down at me with a shrewd look, "Kuroda Hiroki, despite only having slightly above average scores in the academy, it seems you've been hiding your true genius all along. I will ask for your reasons at a later time but for now you will hear my arrangements for you. You will begin ANBU training starting tomorrow after sunset. Your instructor will meet with you in front of this tower. From this moment on, you will be a genin of Konoha as well as an ANBU operative."

My eyes only widen a fraction as I force myself to wrap my head around everything he just said. Me? In ANBU? Not to mention, since it's Danzo we're talking to here, his messy ROOT faction is probably going to enlist me. _And_ they found out that I was faking my incompetency all along. That was probably the hardest thing for me to swallow.

I could only force myself to nod my head so that he'd continue.

"No one will know you are in ANBU except for those in this room right now. Should this slip out, there will be harsher punishments awaiting you besides incarceration."

As if I needed the threat to know that I'd be put on a kill-list the second I even mention ANBU to anyone outside.

The old man passes the hypothetical speaking baton over to the other old man as he begins to speak as well, "I understand this is a lot to take in Kuroda-kun but I assure you this is the best that I can offer you. Do you understand?"

I stare at Hiruzen's aged, wrinkled eyes for a few beats before a smile slips onto my face.  
"Of course, Hokage-sama."

Before I knew it, I had bowed and left the tower. The air outside of Konoha was much needed as I was instantly bubbling with rage.

On the inside obviously because there were still at least two ANBU who followed me out to make sure I didn't go and immediately blab about my 'promotion'.

Gods, and isn't that just fucking great?

Instead of being in the safety of a jail cell for a year I get to be in ANBU aka 'risk your life on suicide missions and erase your entire personality while you're at it'.

Fuck that.

I wanted to rage at Danzo for so obviously trying to recruit me into his ROOT faction, Hiruzen for being stupid enough to listen to Danzo, Ibiki for making me go to see Hiruzen in the first place, and while I'm at it I'll be pissed off at _everyone_ in this whole entire goddamned village for one reason or another. Even Teuchi for that one time four months ago when he gave me miso ramen instead of shrimp.

All my self control went into stopping myself from strangling the next person that walked past me at the moment. I took a few, deep breaths through my nose to calm myself down and not give the ANBU watching me a reason to incapacitate me.

Biding my time was the only real option I had. If I acted out now, with the way I am, it'd be all too easy for Danzo to call on Sai or whoever to just slit my throat as I turn the corner. Then I'd never get the chance to live my life the way I wanted to, full of power and excess.

 _This really, fucking sucks. As if it was hard enough to tiptoe around people and make them believe my lies,_ I thought ruefully as I got home and promptly crashed back into my bed.

I slept until nine the next morning. Thankfully the night went by with no dreams of any kind.

* * *

"Is this truly the right choice for someone as young as Kuroda?" The man in robes asks his close friend, associate, and advisor. It had taken firm convincing to get Hiruzen to accept the idea that Kuroda Hiroki is far more suited to enter ANBU as consolation than it is to let the boy's talents stagnate in prison.

Especially if said child was able to manipulate teachers, peers, and family into thinking he was just a mere genin.

The sheer fact that the boy could conceal his chakra and slip out from the village's walls, without alerting the wall guards on duty or the ANBU that routinely sweep through the outskirts of the village, is a testament to the potential inside the child. Danzo had been intrigued about Kuroda's near prodigious abilities- and if he showed more promise the upcoming day he _would_ be labelled with the same likeness as Hatake or Uchiha- and delved into the boy's academic history.

What surprised him is that Kuroda was only ever slightly higher than average in the Academy: weak in weapon's classes but only behind Uchiha Sasuke in taijutsu spars; isn't number one in the class for any subject but usually in the top five. No real notable awards or points of interest about the boy made by his teachers other than that he's had a problem focusing in class in his early years. All in all, a discrete, run-of-the-mill student.

It was all of this, the mediocrity yet the brilliance to bypass village security, that led to Danzo wanting the boy to join his ranks.

"Do you think letting him rot away in a prison cell would have done him better, Hiruzen?" The bandaged man answers.

The Sandaime Hokage keeps silent, holding back the words that he wanted to say because the deed had long since been done.

_Letting the boy rot away in ANBU is hardly any better._

* * *

Team 11 carried on practice the next day as if the boy, their teammate, hadn't come sporting new ribbons and darkened bags beneath his eyes. Their sensei, though nonchalant yet tough, only spared a brief assessing glance to the boy before asking where he'd been the other day.

"Training with my Kaa-san got a little too rough, sorry." He laughs out, oblivious to the way the ribbon around his neck bobs up and down as he laughs. Oblivious to the worried glances the two other genin are giving him.

"Next time you should have someone tell me that you'll be absent." The brunette says, then turning to his own brunette student, "Tennyuu-kun here was worried sick about you anyways. _Sensei, where is Hiroki-kun? Do you think he's okay? What if he's hurt?_ "

The tokubetsu jounin mimics his student with a higher pitched voice, his hands clasping together as he wiggles to-and-fro cutely. Mairu giggles at the sight of her usually stoic sensei trying to lighten the mood.

"You bastard! I didn't say it like that, neng!" Tennyuu hisses out, his fists curling together and readying to hit the still cutesy-acting sensei.

"What was that, Tennyuu-kun? So you _did_ say all those words after all?" Genma goads on.

"N-no! I mean, I was just asking! Not as if I actually cared what pretty-boy was up to yesterday!"

Said pretty boy jumps in, "You think I'm pretty?"

"Arrgghh!"

Mairu follows after the boy who's stomping away from his sensei and teammate and for a short while, everyone pretends that everything is alright.

* * *

 _They haven't asked about the ribbons but I can tell they're dying to_ , I think as I walk towards the Hokage Tower.

Idly, I play with the ribbon on my left wrist while trying to tamp down the feeling that they seemed genuinely concerned about me. If they knew about my bloodbending and my time in that sterilized room they'd just think I was a monster.

A monster who lied straight to their faces about not having a kekkei genkai. A monster who forced a man's body to flip itself inside out, the gore that came pouring out those first, few seconds forever burned in my memory.

 _They wouldn't care if they knew the real me._ This was the only thing I could tell myself to distance myself away from my team. If anyone truly knew me then they'd hang me in the village square as they celebrate the death of someone who would wreak havoc to their lives in the future.

My eyes clenched shut for a fierce moment before opening again. I was at the Hokage Tower and the sun was dipping low behind me.

Just as I wished to get rid of these feelings of self-doubt, two hands cover my face: one over my eyes and the other over my mouth, its grip impossibly strong. A faint breeze is the only thing that tells me we had teleported away to another location by shunshin.

The hands slowly lift away and I take in a large, cave-like room with only small lights lining the ground to illuminate. I sense a handful of chakra signatures nearby, outside the room, and I assume I was taken inside an ANBU base. Biting back a comment about the only countermeasure they had about me finding this place again was by covering my eyes, I turned to look at my supposed mentor.

"Nice to meet you, I am Kabuto Yakushi. I am your ANBU mentor and will be teaching you the ropes around here."

The small glint off his glasses, the tied silver hair, the collared shirt. Despite knowing exactly who this young man was and what he was capable of, I couldn't feel the small, blooming feeling of idolization.

Kabuto Yakushi single-handedly played everyone for a fool. Konoha, Danzo, Orochimaru, he was someone who survived to the end despite originally being portrayed as some side-character who would die in some confrontation with Naruto and friends. I admittedly don't really know much about the later parts of Shippuden, with the Fourth Shinobi War and the Infinite Tsukiyomi, but I had researched what became of Kabuto because he was the only character that I could relate to.

Disappointingly, however, it turns out that Kabuto was "cleansed" of his sins and becomes some kind of social worker at an orphanage.

I expected more from him obviously, and seeing as how I have such a large opportunity in front of me, I hoped I'd be able to preserve his incredible strength. Perhaps even encourage him to do more!

I couldn't help the genuine smile that curved onto my lips as I greeted him back, "Kuroda Hiroki, but call me Hiroki, please. And it's a pleasure to meet you, Kabuto-sensei."

A grin reflects back at me but it is fake and rotten and a little unstable. It is the only warning before a bone-breaking punch comes aiming at my face. Fortunately enough, I was quick enough to move past him and thus begin our spar/training/test.

Obviously Kabuto wanted to see if I was even worth the effort of tutoring, if I should just be sent back and serve my time instead. Spurred on by delusions of grandeur and idolization, I was determined not to waste this chance and prove myself to him. Prove that I'm _worth_ something.

(A faint echo in the back of my mind reminds me that I am worthless no matter what I do, what I accomplish.)

I come within an inch of being able to land a devastating blow on his right leg, hoping to jab my fingers hard enough to pinch his femoral artery. Now listen, the only way I know about this was only because of my own personal experiences with drugs and needles, which is to say was bad experimentation and foresight on my part. A sudden need to scratch my neck causes me to miss and I jump back to dodge a blow to the temple.

I unholster nearly three dozen kunai tucked away in my haori and leg pouches before spraying them out, though the silver haired nin dodges them easily in one fluid motion. Eager to prove myself, I pull my fingers backwards and the nearly invisible chakra strings attached to the kunai are pulled taught.

The battlefield was now lined with my chakra strings, with me in the center as the string radiated outwards to a kunai. Kabuto caught onto my trap soon enough, as expected, and so he lands elegantly between the spaces of the chakra wire.

It's a good thing I had the element of surprise here because just as Kabuto is readying himself with his chakra scalpels, I surge electricity through the chakra strings. Especially through the ones nearest to him, cackles and sputters of lightning fly out and immediately overcome the silver haired nin's body. If all goes to plan he will effectively be rendered paralyzed, if not unconscious, and then I can spend my sweet ol' time going through his body.

 _Perhaps he wouldn't mind if I stole a lock of his hair either_ , my mind supplies as I appraise said nin's convulsing form.

Any second now and I get all the hands-on-time I want. I smile victoriously, albeit a tad too cocky because the briefest flicker of chakra comes up behind me and a solid weight falls on my neck.

Darkness envelops me once more but this time it is filled with a throbbing pain.

The next time I open my eyes I am once again greeted by the glasses wearing shinobi. Kabuto is smiling and his hands are on me and I might have been blushing a bit. Must be from hormones as usual, I couldn't wait until puberty passes, my God.

"Did I pass?" I ask as I push myself up, dusting my knees and pant legs. I send a quizzical look over Kabuto and also wonder when he had healed me.

"Pass what? What makes you think this was a test?" He tilts his head innocently. I barely suppress a moronic giggle from escaping my lips.

I throw a careless shrug, "You wouldn't accept me into ANBU just like that, right? That's stupid. And dangerous. If I didn't meet your standards then I would just be a liability, that's why I'm asking."

"You're very observant, Hiroki-kun." Okay this time I let out a small laugh, just this once because he said my name for the first time and it _wasn't_ even a giggle. "For your information, yes. You did 'pass'. Congratulations."

This time, the smile that was directed at me held the smallest bit of sincerity in them. Honestly speaking? That's really all I need for these feelings to fester inside me.

I smile back, brightly and more honest than even I was expecting.

* * *

Let it be known that Yakushi Kabuto was a young man who was filled with grotesque truths, decaying morals, and an everlasting loneliness. Ever since _she_ died, nothing was the same.

As if a gate had come crashing down, Kabuto had closed himself off to others for good.

So why then was this young boy, barely a ninja let alone a soldier, giving him these looks of such utter devotion? Adoration? Obsession?

Wanting to test Kuroda Hiroki- and seeing if he could beat those looks off the boy's face- the two engaged in a brutal spar. Each hit, kick, and throw from both were aimed at vital spots or at least meant to hurt a great deal. Ruthlessness. Check.

Kabuto discreetly created a shadow clone as the lilac haired child- as if the boy's gentle smile wasn't off putting enough- dug through for his weapons. The older male watched from the ceiling as the chakra strings, well hidden and sneaky, were attached to each kunai as they were flung out. He watched as his clone purposefully stood among the chakra strings and as a current of electricity surged through each wire, a smirk surprisingly fell on his lips. He quickly wipes it off with the thought, cleverness. Check.

Executing a quick shunshin, Kabuto appears behind the boy and novels at how Kuroda's eyes widened almost imperceptibly, proving that he had at least sensed Kabuto despite not being able to fend him off. Alert senses. Check.

For a ninja, especially in ROOT ANBU, candidates are selected not solely based on physical prowess or bloodline ability- though they do play a considerable role- but mainly based on these three attributes: ruthlessness, cleverness, and alert senses.

Ruthlessness guarantees that all missions will be completed, for if ANBU was known for anything it was the low moral standing of which most missions stood on. There should be no hesitation when it comes to an order.

Cleverness will sometimes prove to be more useful than outright strength. "For when an unbeatable opponent crosses you, you must only need to move out their way" as the saying goes around here. Chosen candidates will know that you only need to accomplish what is needed when faced against a difficult opponent. There is no need to actually kill the enemy, just incapacitate them at most.

High enough senses to tell when there is danger about you is crucial. You are essentially dead the moment you drop your guard because that is when an enemy will strike. It's just the truth of the matter.

Objectively speaking, Kuroda Hiroki is well poised to become quite the ANBU shinobi; a force to be reckoned with.

"Congratulations." He says and he actually means it, if the smile that leaks some sincerity proves it.

Kabuto bristles as the boy suddenly rushes forward. An assassination attempt? Now? Well, it would certainly be a good opportunity, not even Kabuto had expected it.

Except it hadn't been.

Thin arms wrap around the young man's body and he feels the warmth of the boy as Kuroda embraces him.

"What are you doing?" He sighs. Kabuto had literally knocked the boy out with a jab of the hand not more than an hour ago and now the child seems to have found some affection towards him?

Kuroda Hiroki isn't perfect at first glance it seems. Emotions are no good around here, after all.

* * *

**If you haven't assumed from that opening "scene", the empty streets are a symbol of Hiroki's empty smiles, his empty soul essentially. I actually try to put in symbols and themes into this story, despite originally saying that I was just writing this to blow off steam!**

**Tsuki is a firm believer in tough love. She's cold and hard and definitely mean but she shows her affections in different ways, I mean what do you expect from a ninja village anyways? Even if it is Konoha.**

**Hiroki is going to be ANBU! Not just any ANBU either but the ROOT kind. Hiroki is essentially going to be fucked for the next few chapters(?) but oh well sucks to suck. Danzo is a conniving old man who obviously has some deeper, darker plans ahead involving our favorite hero/villain.**

**Speaking of Hiroki, I chanced to write his more "personal" side, the one that contains his doubts, inner-voice, and feelings other than the need to take and destroy. Hope you all liked reading it since I may or may not decide to write him like this for a while in the future. His feelings towards Kabuto definitely border on the obsessive side of things and taking in Kabuto's penchant for deception and coercion, it's a very unhealthy relationship guaranteed.**

**Hope you all enjoyed this chapter anyways, it sure had a lot of plot turning/twisting things already haha**

**Kudos/Comments/Bookmarks = Author Motivation = Faster Updates**


	8. Turning Tables

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Close enough to start a war  
> All that I have is on the floor  
> God only knows what we're fighting for

Training with Kabuto was- to put it simply- vicious, violent, and degrading. Each spar was dangerous; every kick or punch meant to _hurt_ and if one did land, Kabuto would have waited until I cried to heal me. The amount of times I've had bones snap or tendons torn is near countless by now.

After training he'd heal anything life threatening and leave the cuts, bruises, and burn marks alone which made it especially difficult to hide from my parents. I should be thankful though since I've gotten a stronger pain tolerance out of it.

Kabuto was a strict and cruel teacher.

The times I cried out in pain he'd make sure to heal whatever was hurting me but would then punish me later for it. My least favorite ones were where he'd make me strip naked and lay in a bath of ice water for an hour or two and the one where he'd have the other ROOT trainees come in and beat me. I'd have nightmares for days after that but I couldn't show it; I had to hide all my emotions if I were to survive through ROOT.

After I made whatever standard I was supposed to meet, Kabuto had called me over- though I'd hardly call whisking me away from my bedroom in the middle of the night a simple house call- and pushed me through a set of heavy steel doors. Inside of it laid a rotting monster.

"Take a seat, Kuroda-kun." Danzo's raspy voice commanded me.

The bandaged man oozed out a suffocating aura, one like being trapped in a room of dusty, aged books and hidden predators but my face held still. This emotionless mask I donned was literally beaten into me anyways.

WIth a nod I slid into the chair closest to me and I lightly noted that Kabuto receded into the background of the room. I could count the three other ROOT agents hidden in the shadows of this room as well but I knew I could take them on should they attack me. For all of the weeks of training in here I still haven't shown much use of my kekkei genkai. Just limited use like a spasm of a leg here or the twitch of a hand there. Nothing that would make Kabuto scared of me.

(Kabuto's left pointer finger twitched violently, causing a moment of distraction that allowed me to land a solid fist into his side. Of course, it didn't deter him much. The silver haired nin didn't even grimace instead retaliating with a kick to the nose after straightening out his fingers.

"Your kekkei genkai," He started after hopping away from me, "Will prove to be useful after you've gained some mastery over it."

This was the closest thing to true praise I've gotten from the young man so despite the way he said the words with a clinical detachment to them, I beamed and allowed a small blush to creep on my cheeks.

Kabuto just narrowed his eyes at me and coughed awkwardly before throwing senbon at my face.)

"Starting at this moment, you are officially part of Konohagakure's esteemed ANBU. Specifically, an operative of the ROOT division," The bandaged man rose and slowly made his way in front of me. The smell of decaying sandalwood hit my nose.

"However, our division demands complete secrecy. To achieve this, our operatives will not utter a single thought of ROOT, their involvement in it, or even the mention of such a division existing. We do not take spoken promises as anything of value here, Kuroda-kun. Lies are told as easily as greetings and because of this we must ensure secrecy another way."

My face kept still as I looked onwards, not even bothering to look the man in the eye. I knew what was going to happen next, something I've been expecting since the moment Danzo had chosen me to be part of ANBU.

I nodded at Danzo's expectant silence.

"Stick out your tongue, Kuroda-kun," Danzo ordered and after doing so a flash of chakra spiked and another nin was standing in front of me.

"A seal will be placed on your tongue. Be warned that you will not be able to speak about the seal either once it is placed." I nodded in understanding.

The masked nin in front of came forward with a brush in hand, I assumed it was already dipped in ink from seeing the darkness of its bristles.

It was quiet throughout the whole ordeal, the masked nin made quick work with his strokes and then Danzo came forward to place a finger on the seal. I felt him pulse a bit of his chakra into it, the taste of his chakra like bile on my tongue but I kept my face carefully still.

When it was over I closed my mouth and bowed, as if I was grateful to be sworn to secrecy by this disgusting old man. It took quite the effort from sneering as Danzo wore a smug smirk, excusing me with a flick of his hand.

Once well outside, Kabuto caught up to me and walked in step, "Now that you're part of ROOT I can talk to you more freely."  
I sent the four eyes a sidelong glance, "Aww, does that mean you were waiting to talk to me all along? Mouuu, Kabuto-senpai!"

I squealed and launched a hug at the nin, catching him off guard and causing the both of us to tumble. Admittedly, I've grown even fonder of the guy despite the hellish training and cold treatment from him the weeks prior so I let myself go and acted more childish around him. That and I also knew that my constant affection towards him made him feel uncomfortable.

Deceptively strong arms unwrapped my own and soon enough we were back to standing though I was still grinning cheekily up at him.

Adjusting his glasses- and making that cute glint shine off them- Kabuto gave a sigh before saying, "It just means that you aren't much of a liability any more Hiroki-kun."

My arms were already raised and ready to jump him again in a hug until he raised a hand and continued, "Don't forget. We still have more training to do."  
I puffed out my cheeks and pouted, the faint sensation of chakra ink on my tongue foreign and strange, "Mouuu, alright. If it's what Kabuto-senpai wants to do."

* * *

Genma loved his students, really. Mairu was a soft-spoken girl but she made up for it with kindness and constant appreciation of her team. Tennyuu was a little prickly but he held a fierce loyalty towards his team and village. Hiroki could be awfully strange sometimes but it was usually because he was laid back and agreeable.

All in all, his team wasn't so bad compared to the other sensei of this generation (though he'd never admit that to Kakashi's face). Which made him upset when he found out that his Hiroki- who is always seen smiling and laughing- had ended up in T&I for unsanctioned leave out of the village.

Hiroki should have known the rules. Compared to his other two students, Hiroki arguably had the least shortcomings in terms of technical and practical skills; just a well rounded boy who should have known that it was illegal to do what he did. The lilac haired boy should have known why the village took such extreme measures against it because even if Hiroki had been out of the village for less than a night, it would have been enough time for an enemy to have captured him and implanted any information or traps into him.

It was stupid and dangerous. The buzzing feeling Genma had when he first met the boy, telling him something was definitely _wrong_ with that child, grew stronger after hearing what Ibiki told him. Should have known to trust his gut instincts since they've never proved him wrong, lest he be dead by now.

Nonetheless, Ibiki had told him that Hiroki got a stern talking to by the Hokage and has to make up hours of community service on his own time. An easy punishment compared to a year or so in jail. Genma had the faint feeling it was because of the boy's age and recent graduation to _genin_ , barely even a ninja in the world.

When he saw the boy again, he contained the faint sigh of relief though the new ribbons ticked off something wrong about him. Genma assumed it must have been from his time in T&I but he forced his mind to stop there, no need to think of unnecessary things that have already been done.

Seeing the boy smiling again with his team made his heart warm a little, melting the iciness that had settled there when he first heard the about the boy's incident. He can see why some of the jounin sensei grew so attached to their students to the point of ignoring their faults.

(His mind supplied an image of the Hokage and his own student who turned missing-nin but does not even have a search-and-kill order placed upon him.)

He loved his students, really.

"Oi, oi. Listen up kiddies, I've got a surprise for you." The senbon in his mouth quirked up as he smirked down at them. Three pairs of large, rounded eyes face back at him and Genma is reminded at how young these kids are.

He blinks before continuing, "Do you all know what's happening a few weeks from now?"

Tennyuu is the first to speak but he sounds hesitant, "Another mission?"

The bandana shakes along with his head.

Mairu raises a hand before speaking, "We're getting a new sensei?"  
This time he almost spits out his senbon in surprise, "Mairu-chan! Do you really not like me that much?"

He whines as Mairu flushes and tries to remedy the situation. A dark cloud rains on Genma's bowed head and Tennyuu is laughing at him.

"It's the Chuunin Exams, right?" Hiroki speaks up and immediately recognition splits the other two's faces.

"How'd you know that, neng?" Tennyuu asks suspiciously.

"I saw some flyers about it on the way here," The lilac haired boy smiles prettily, "I thought you'd have seen it by now."

"...Why you!" Tennyuu makes a move to grab the other boy but Genma had a hand on his head to stop him.

"C'mon boys, no fighting. Hiroki-kun's right, the Chuunin Exams are in less than two weeks from now and I have half a mind to enter you three in it. Actually, it's really up to you all if you choose to take it or not?"  
Tennyuu was already grinning in excitement but Mairu raises her hand again, "Are you sure we're ready, Genma-sensei? I mean, we only have one completed C-rank mission and the rest are all D-rank. I didn't really do much in any of the missions either…"  
The self doubt was evident in her voice. Mairu was clearly self conscious of her own spot on the team, thinking that she'd hold the boys back.

Thankfully, Hiroki was the one who brought her spirit back up again, "Don't say that, Mairu-chan! You're part of this team for a reason and without you this wouldn't even be Team 11!"

Tennyuu jumped in with a blush on his cheeks, "Yeah, what Hiroki said, neng! I wouldn't replace you for anyone, and not like those missions were any hard to begin with."

Genma smirked as he saw these three cement their friendship, "Alright, kiddies. Seems like I already know your answer."  
The three of them looked back at him with determination in their gaze and chorused together, "Hai!"

* * *

Training with Team 11 was easy compared to my time with Kabuto, absolutely. I had to lose some spars of course, especially when Mairu and Tennyuu teamed up against me, but for the most part I could relax and use the time with Team 11 as a warmup for ROOT training later in the night. Not to say that Genma had some plans that were all peachy-keen either.

"You want us to do what?" I asked, carefully hiding a snide remark.

"Find someone to buy you alcohol at Falling Leaves bar and then exchange that alcohol for some weapons." Genma twirled the senbon in his mouth lazily, not even bothering to look at us.

Currently, Team 11 was standing to the side of the main road in the village, surrounded by businesses and working civilians. I wondered what we were going to do today but I can honestly say I didn't expect this.

"Neng?! How are we gonna convince someone to buy us alcohol? We're underage, no one's gonna do that for us!" Tennyuu glowered at the carefree sensei leaning his back against a wall.

Said sensei just shrugged, "Not my problem. You have until three, meet me at Akimichi BBQ when you're done."

Mairu fidgeted while Tennyuu looked ready to ask more questions though by the time the brunette could open his mouth, Genma was gone with a swirl of leaves.

"That lousy sensei. I bet he's gone off to find another lady friend…" Tennyuu grumbled while folding his arms.

I considered my chances quietly. On one hand, this would be a great exercise for manipulation and being sneaky- something I will admit to not being as good as I thought I was at, being caught out of the village and all- but on the other hand I'd have to be careful with who I talk to. No need to go alerting Ibiki that I was out manipulating fellow ninja of the Leaf and all that.

"Mmm, I think we can do it," I said as I turned to the two, "We just need to find the right person."

I had one person in mind as I told the two and thankfully just as I was done speaking that person came announcing themselves at the top of the street.

"Teme! I'll get you back for that!" Naruto yelled out at the crowd, eyes searching for the 'teme' who'd be none other than the Uchiha.

I noticed a darkening bruise on his eye and felt a pang of worry, hurrying towards him with Mairu and Tennyuu in tow.

"Naru-kun!" I waved at the blonde then, feigning surprise, I gasped, "What happened? Who did this to you?"

"Hiroki-kun! O-oh, uh, this is nothing. The teme just got a lucky hit on me." He scratched his head and laughed awkwardly, his face heating up.

"Who's this, neng?" Came a haughty voice behind us.

I held back a sigh. I nearly forgot that my teammates didn't care for Naruto and that no one knew about our relationship.

"This is my _friend_ Naruto-kun," I sent a pointed look at Tennyuu, "And he's gonna help us with our mission."

"How?" Mairu asked, her head tilted in question.

"Naru-kun is well known for his pranks and being the Number 1 Most Unpredictable Ninja in the village. If he can slip past most jounin then he'll be more help than asking around hoping for someone to listen to us." I grinned smugly, knowing that Genma didn't say we couldn't ask anyone to help as long as we got the alcohol in the end.

By the end of the day the Falling Leaves bar was well known to attract tall, busty ladies who bought all kinds of alcohol and had varying personalities. Genma could only sigh in fondness at seeing his students work together using perverted jutsu to accomplish their goals. Like sensei, like student.

* * *

I've been planning for the upcoming Chuunin Exams, calculating my chances for different things like the match-ups and the invasion. God knows that I have to factor in my existence as an unknown variable, inevitably changing things from the canon.

I met up with Kabuto the night before the exam and he told me not to speak to him or even glance at him should I see him there. I nearly scoffed at his face when he said so, did he really think me stupid enough to show any kind of relationship between the two of us? Or did he really believe that my emotions towards him would make me want to speak to him at any opportunity? Get over yourself, Kabuto. I like you enough but survival will always come first. _Always_.

Carefully, oh so carefully, I made sure to keep my team away from the other Konoha genin so not to show any affiliation- and an implied alliance- towards anyone. I caught the wounded looks from both Hinata and Naruto but I made sure not to even offer them a second glance; I'd apologize later when there wasn't an invasion to worry about, they'll understand.

The writing portion was easy enough; Mairu was smart enough to fill in most of the questions while Tennyuu stubbornly tried to answer what he could. I just had to sit back and wait for Ibiki to speak up, sneaking glances at Hinata and Naruto while I was seemingly zoning out. Memory served right for now because my team had advanced to the second portion of the exam which took place inside the Forest of Death.

Anko's speech with Naruto went the way it was supposed to go and now the Team 11 was flying through the treetops of the forest with amazing speed to find a team as quick as possible. I was the strongest sensor out of the three of us so I headed the front, my hand fisting and raising next to my face to signal the two behind me to stop.

 _Three. Twelve o'clock_.

I signed to the two of them and got into a defensive stance. If the chakra signatures are who I assumed to be, there was no point in running. They would have sensed us before I even noticed them anyways and running would only bring a faster death.

Almost immediately after signalling the two a strong gust of wind blew past us, forcing my bangs to hit my face as the feeling of a vile and rotten chakra overcame my senses. My nose curled in disgust.

_No contact. Stay on the defensive._

I didn't want my team- especially Tennyuu- to engage with the enemy unless necessary. Just defend as much as possible until we have an opening to escape. Preferably after diverting their attention.

The three in front of us were Kusa genin: a woman in the middle and two hulking figures to the side of her. I recognized the woman from earlier, the one with the snake tongue, and knew it was Orochimaru. Thinking back, how obvious can that Sannin get?

"Kuroda Hiroki." The woman in the middle, whose smirk was snake-like and smug, called out to me bluntly.

My face was still, not reacting to my name whatsoever, but she was staring right at me; she knew who I was and what I looked like. Now the question was how? How much does she know?

Orochimaru, who could have told you about me?

Thoughts raced through my head faster than I could blink, trying to pinpoint where I had gone wrong. Then, realization hit me. _Kabuto_. At this moment he was both a double agent for ROOT and the snake Sannin. Of course he would watch over my training, he must have jumped at the chance to look over a child with a rare kekkei genkai afterall.

The heart I liked to pretend didn't exist traitorously rolled and twisted inside my chest, the bitter taste of betrayal building in the back of my throat while the chakra ink stung like poison.

Fucking Kabuto. Already I was being backstabbed by you.

"I have no use of the other two. Take care of them." With a careless flick of her wrist, the two grunts at the woman's side rushed forward.

Before I could try to stop them a strong arm wrapped itself around my waist and suddenly we were at the highest tops of the trees, both of our teams down at the canopies.

"No use running after them to play the hero, Hiroki-kun. I know you and your ROOT training would have you pretend to care when you really don't."

The creases around my brows relaxed and I easily slid on the mask of indifference. I turned to face the Sannin and was met with a triumphant smirk.

Wind continued to blow at our sides during my silence before I spoke up, "You know of my kekkei genkai."

A statement, not a question because Orochimaru was a smart man with 'friends' in the highest and lowest of places. The only reason I was alive at this point, standing comfortably on my own two feet, was because of my bloodline limit. Afterall, for men like Orochimaru and Kabuto, they'll only keep you around if you're useful.

"I have a proposition to make, Hiroki-kun. But first, let me ask you a question," A flash of amber eyes glanced at my neck, at the ribbons, before returning back to their murky darkness, "Do you like power? Being strong? I know Konoha has put you through a lot. Sacrificed a lot. And for what? The village?"

A serpentine laugh aimed at me, causing me to blink. So he's going to offer me power to keep me tied to him. I could only hope that he didn't plan on putting his curse mark on me, I had no desire to have Orochimaru's chakra running loose through my body whenever I lose my temper.

"What are you suggesting?" I finally replied, my face stone-still and voice monotonous.

"I'm suggesting that you are unhappy with your place here in Konoha. I see it in your eyes, as much as you want to hide it, you're much smarter than you appear and much more _aware_ of this world. I'm just offering you a way of obtaining more power."

At this I let the mask drop, showing my true face which twisted into sneer and a haughty gaze, "And _you_ can offer me more power? Orochimaru of the Legendary Sannin, missing-nin, I know who you are so it's only polite if you show your true face to me as I have done for you."

At this point I knew I was safe enough to disclose the fact I knew who _she_ was. Who was hiding underneath that fake skin.

Eyes narrowed dangerously into a glare at me, "...Tch. What gave it off, child?"  
"Your chakra is like a snake," I said simply, "Coiling and slithering through the air like it wants to strangle me. Not to mention that Kusa is known to send in genin every once in a blue moon. It's strange for Kusa genin with dramatics to do what you did back there with Anko."  
I smirked at the face the woman was making: unnaturally pinched at some corners giving away the fact that her skin was pulled taut over another face.

"The proposition?" I offered teasingly.

"Like I said," Her lips nearly spitting out the words, "I can offer you power. In exchange I would like you to work for me."

"...If I were to accept, what would that entail?"  
A smirk from the woman's darkened lips, "Only simple things for now. Like what places the genin often go, where they practice."

"For now? How about for later?"  
"That'll take time, Hiroki-kun. And I'm willing to wait."

A brief silence came over us then, the Sannin waiting for my decision while I still had yet to make one. The game I was playing would get exponentially more dangerous and difficult if I accepted; I'd have to play the village, Danzo, and Orochimaru while still trying to further my own desires (whatever _they_ were).

Blooming in my head, a small thought came through. I'd get closer to Kabuto by accepting this offer. Slowly, I'd prove to be the only one he can rely on once Orochimaru's out of the picture. A chip of his mask cracked away each time I went deeper into the bowels of the world of ninja. A chip after joining ROOT. A chip after joining Orochimaru.

I'll see your true face Kabuto. I want to meet you for real.

And there, I made my decision, "What will you have me do?"

* * *

I got back to my team, or what was left of them, down from the treetops. Off to the side of the clearing below was one of Orochimaru's grunts, a large gash across his neck and the other was nowhere to be seen. It didn't really matter now since Orochimaru himself left earlier after speaking with me.

Walking up to the two lumps in the center of the clearing, I crouched to inspect them closer.

Mairu's face was totally caved in, her broken glasses stuck out of her face as her dark hair was drenched in blood and brain matter. The rest of her body was covered with bruises and cuts, her clothes torn to shreds. My lips formed a thin line and I took out a scroll that had a blanket sealed inside of it. Unsealing it and placing it on top of Mairu's body to at least offer her some decency and respect in her death.

Tennyuu...Tennyuu had a missing arm. Ripped right out of its socket as blood pooled out from the gaping hole. His normally boyish face was stuck in a caricature of itself; his green eyes wide open while his lips were slightly parted as if the last thing he saw was a monster. It might have well been. He too had numerous cuts and bruises but his clothes held tight, made from a thicker material probably made for ninja use. I laid two gentle fingers on his eyes and closed them.

Surprisingly, I felt the jabs of regret and sadness as I took the scroll from Tennyuu's back pocket and leapt off. The feeling was still there as I scavenged an Earth scroll from another body I found along the way to the tower.

I checked into the tower shortly after. Once there I opened the scrolls only to have a dramatic poof of smoke appear, Iruka standing there as it cleared.

"Congratulations! You-" The man's jovial voice cut short as he inspected me. Obviously, what he saw made him frown and take on a more somber mood.

Could he tell that I let my teammates die? Formed an agreement with one of the village's most notorious missing-nin?

"...Hiroki-kun, what happened to your teammates?"  
"We were attacked. I was holding the scroll and they told me to make a run for it. When I came back for them they were already dead." I lied easily. Though this time the unease in my eyes was much more genuine than my words.

"Oh, I-I'm sorry to hear that." The chuunin replied with a strained voice.

Iruka showed real remorse, his hand covering his eyes shortly before turning back to me and guiding me into one of the rooms in the tower. This one was small but had two bunk beds opposite of each other. Thankfully, no one was in here.

"Unfortunately, you must stay here until the entire second portion is over," Then, awkwardly standing by the door, "Listen, Hiroki-kun, if you ever need to talk to anyone…"  
I nodded my head quickly and laid on the bottom of one of the bunk beds, not wanting to hear whatever Iruka had to offer. I heard the soft clink of the door being shut and only after I felt Iruka's retreating signature disappear did I allow myself to let out a shuddering breath.

Pushing away my emotions is second nature for me so why am I so hung up about their deaths? Tennyuu and Mairu were good kids, sure, but I've seen countless 'good kids' get corrupted and hurt and destroyed in this life and the last. Was it because we were a team, relying on each other to have our backs?

Much good that did as I literally left them to their deaths. Who knows what went on in their minds during my time speaking with Orochimaru. Were they worried for me? Did they resent me for not coming to help them? Were they hoping that I had gone to get help? Did they feel resignation when they realized I _hadn't_?

My hands clench the musty sheets below me as I grit my teeth angrily. It was no use thinking about it. Regret will only hold me back. The only thing left to worry about concerning those two would be how to tell Genma. At this heavy thought I finally tired myself out and fell into the abyss of sleep.

* * *

**Question: Do you think Genma would stay in Hiroki's life even after he finds out his two other students are dead?**

**Please don't hate me! I know that I'll regret killing Mairu and Tennyuu off later but honestly this was something I had planned for a long time already, I just didn't expect to grow to like them a little.**

**I wrote Genma's perspective because I hoped to explain why the sentence for leaving the village was so heavy. When you really think about it, the Hokage and the council need to be paranoid enough to prevent any of their ninja from leaving even for a short while and coming back into the village like that, who knows what could happen to them in that big, bad world. Also please note the fact that Ibiki kept Hiroki's bloodbending from Genma, which means no one from his team know about it.**

**About that C-rank mission Mairu talked about, I could include it as an extra in a later chapter since it seriously was quite a redundant mission which entailed going to Tanzaku-gai. I didn't feel that it would progress the story so I left it out. Please tell me if you want me to write it. I _did_ leave in the part where Naruto obviously taught them the Oiroke no Jutsu to get some free drinks at a bar lol because I wanted to show a little bonding scene and some Naruto.**

**Kabuto will be quite an important character in the future, I'll let you all in on that. Just know that Hiroki's feelings for him are very complex where he admires Kabuto but now resents him for telling Orochimaru about him. Hiroki should just get used to being backstabbed by now haha**

**Comments/Kudos/Bookmarks = Author Motivation = Faster Updates**


	9. Pray You Catch Me

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Where do you go when you go quiet?

"My kids are...what did you-you say? They're.." Genma stuttered out, his hand immediately grabbing at the wall for support. The senbon that usually stuck inside his mouth fell and clattered to the floor.

Iruka hated being the one to deliver bad news. When the Kyuubi attacked he had been one of the first to learn about the deaths in the village, of his parents and countless other children. Now of course fate would have him be the one to tell Genma that two of his students died during the second portion of the Chuunin Exams.

"Kuroda Hiroki came back with both scrolls and reported his two teammates dead," Iruka held back the urge to put a hand on the trembling man's shoulder. Genma was just a tokujo but Iruka knew full well how dangerous an emotionally compromised ninja can be.

"His report said that they were attacked, the scroll was given to Hiroki-kun and was told to flee. When he returned the two were dead."

A fist came slamming into the wall, causing cracks from its impact. Iruka flinched at the man's outburst, unused to the Genma who was usually the calmest person he knew to show such emotions. The fist in the wall clenched before being roughly pulled out as Genma turned to leave.

Iruka shot out a hand towards him, "W-wait! Genma-san where are you heading?"

Heavy steps slowed to a stop near the door. Genma turned slowly, his head still lowered and shielding his eyes as he replied, "...I can't do this shit anymore, Iruka. I knew I shouldn't have been these kids' teacher, look at what it got 'em."

"Don't say that, Genma-san. Hiroki-kun is safe isn't he? He's downstairs-"

_Bang!_

The door is slammed closed, interrupting Iruka's attempt to comfort the hurting tokujo. His shoulders sag at the failed attempt and he sighs realizing the exams weren't over yet. He still had a full three days left to welcome back the other returning genin. Iruka gets the disturbing feeling that cases like Hiroki's will be more common than not.

* * *

Genin lined up in three rows in front of the hand-sign sculpture, the green on its arms vibrant and freshly painted for the occasion. It really was too bad that my mood has soured so much. Out of the corners of my eye I can see the looks given to me by the Konoha 12, ranging from pity to curiosity.

I stood off to the side with others who completed the second phase when their teammates did not. This gave us an automatic fail since the rules dictate that you can only pass as a team. It wasn't hard to put on a look of somber indifference, one that would be appropriate when their teammates have died, when the Hokage gave his speech followed by the rest of the program. It was a boring affair since everything went the way it should have with Kabuto dropping out and all that.

Thus started the preliminaries.

Our group was soon ushered out, unneeded now that the real contestants to achieve the oh-so great title of 'Chuunin' were weeded out from the lot. Internally I scoffed as I walked out the underground path leading to the outside of the Forest of Death.

As I was heading home I was surprisingly stopped by a kid, whose face was perfectly forgettable, bumping into me. Normally I would have apologized first and kept up my polite facade but I recognized the small nuances in the child that tipped off ROOT training. I was correct when the child brushed them self off and scuttled away, a slip of paper finding its way under the collar of haori. My eyes blinked in feigned confusion, looking towards the direction of the boy before heading on home.

"I'm home." I let out with a sigh, unstrapping my ninja sandals and walking into the kitchen.

Of course no one was home, both Tsuki and Hibiki were probably out and on alert. I more so felt than saw the frenzied energy that came off in waves around the village. The Hokage must have been tipped off or felt some kind of suspicion that something wrong wormed itself into Konoha. Come to think of it, what good is that kind of intuition? I swear these damn ninja are paranoid enough to catch everything except the small details.

(They didn't know when double agents lurked in their midst, an entire organization hidden in its bowels, a massacre that saved lives.)

Once the preliminaries are over they'll still be on high alert until the invasion finally starts. By then, it'd be too late. All the plans, schemes, and interests of everyone and everything around me just tangled and weaved into each other infinitely. It was giving me a headache at just how much _thinking_ I had to do, much more than I had expected or even wanted. Damn, is it too late for me to just back out of this ninja business and run off to somewhere instead?

I definitely bit off more than I could chew. What the fuck was I even thinking when I thought about all this ninja business? I plopped down onto the couch and held a hand to my forehead. Maybe I just need some good alcohol.

* * *

The preliminary matches ended exactly the way I expected it to and currently I'm helping Naruto train for the finals in a few weeks. The blonde had told me his sensei got him someone that'll train him later so until then I was helping.

"You're incredible, Hiroki-kun! It's too bad you didn't make it to the finals." Naruto stood to the side of me, throwing kunai at paper targets posted on the trees across from us. I finished a demonstration of throwing various projectiles at the targets with my eyes closed and had him practice his accuracy.

I shrugged casually, keeping my eyes on the boy's form, "Keep your arm straight a little more. Ah, and it's fine, really. I just wish that…"

My voice trailed off and whether Naruto noticed or not I couldn't say; he continued throwing.

What _am_ I wishing for? For Orochimaru to have left me alone? For Genma not signing my team up for the exams in the first place? Exasperated, I felt my brows push against each other.

I guess I just wanted things to be _different_.

I didn't know if declining Orochimaru's offer would have spared them (or me) but if only he didn't sic his grunts out on them! Damn snake, I'm gonna get back at him twice as hard for killing Tennyuu and Mairu. They weren't friends- I didn't consider anyone to be my friend, not even Naruto or Hinata- but they were mine. There was a certain feeling I had when it came to my team. It wasn't protectiveness, else I would've tried harder to stay by their side, but more so a possessiveness that could only stem from countless hours together.

All I knew was that Orochimaru better hide his balls because they're the first things coming off of him when I get the chance.

"Hey, you alright?" Naruto put a calloused hand on my shoulder, his aquamarine eyes worried.

A breath escaped my lips, "Yeah, just thinking."

The blonde jinchuuriki looked like he wanted to say more, his mouth open to speak before a booming voice erupted from the other side of the field we were practicing in.

"Oi! You, orange brat, get over here!" A large figure with a mane of white hair waved over at us.

Thankful for the distraction, I pushed Naruto towards the man and ignored the doubtful looks he sent me.

"Sorry, uh, miss? I want to speak with this one alone."

Jiraiya looks even bigger in person than he did in the manga. He absolutely towered over the two of us, probably taller than even my father. His hair cascaded like a crashing waterfall behind him and he radiated that "I'm a hero!" vibe around him. All in all, Jiraiya embodied the kind of protagonist that would save the day and fix the world.

Of course, that doesn't happen because he eventually dies if my memory served right. Much use that good guy act did for him.

"But Hiroki-" Naruto's voice became muffled by my hand as I tucked him under my arm.

"Oh, Kakashi-sensei said it was alright if I stayed. I was helping Naru-kun during the time you weren't here, after all." I answered sweetly, glad for the first time that my prepubescent looks and voice could still be passed off as a girl.

I could feel Naruto shooting me an incredulous look which I responded with a wider smile. Jiraiya just raised one eyebrow, safely hesitant and considering before raising a shoulder and letting out a snort.

"Fine, but don't come crying if your hair gets dirty or something." He waved a hand before walking past us, his pace slow but carried with a solid weight.

Perhaps it was the fact that I was currently living in a fictional world but I could feel a throbbing vein erupt on my temple. Was Jiraiya always such an asshole? Did he really think girls only cared about their hair? I thought he was a spy master, shouldn't he be able to see that I was a boy at the goddamn least?

Shaking my head, I let Naruto out of my hold and followed after the man I was quickly getting irritated with. It took a bit of effort on my part to match his steps, my two for every one of his own until I finally met up with him in the middle of the field. Naruto, ever jubilant and full of energy, caught up too but did not look nearly as winded as I did.

"So what did ya wanna talk about?" Naruto asked with brimming energy.

"Hm, this one doesn't seem nearly as bright as you." Jiraiya disclosed as he turned to look at me.

Naruto sputtered with an indignant scowl, "What was that, you bastard? I'll have you know I'm Uzumaki Naruto and I'm gonna be Hokage one day, believe it!"

"Yeah, thanks for telling me and everyone else in a ten kilometer radius," The Sannin picked his ears and grimaced at the boy's loudness before looking at me expectantly.

I blinked, surprised that he even wanted me to speak with the cold way he treated me earlier, "My name is Kuroda Hiroki. It's a pleasure to meet you, Jiraiya-sama."

I bowed respectfully knowing that it was best to stay on this man's good side for now. No need to go antagonizing people if there was no benefit to it.

"'Jiraiya-sama'? Hey, Hiroki-kun, do you know this geezer?" Tanned arms found its way around my shoulders as Naruto gave a cautious look to the man, apparently seeing him in a new light.

My head shook as I let out a sigh, his protectiveness was showing again, "This is Jiraiya of the Legendary Sannin, Naru-kun. He's one of the strongest ninja from our village."

"You got that right, little miss," Jiraiya agreed before adding under his breath, "Geez, this is what I got to work with…"

"So what're you doing here? Shouldn't you be, I dunno, doing cool shinobi stuff then?" Naruto's arm was still around my shoulder, tightening its grip as he got more and more agitated.

The thing about being a jinchuuriki is that it gave you really heightened senses, as if the extra chakra and boosted healing were not enough. All the underhanded whispers and muttered insults that people _thought_ that Naruto couldn't hear, when in fact, he could hear _every single one_ could reach him. Feeling strongly defensive over my adorable boyfriend (because even I heard that Jiraiya, you piece of shit) I put a hand over the one Naruto has on top of my shoulder to comfort him a little.

* * *

The brats must have felt really sneaky if they thought I couldn't see that they were in a relationship. Honestly, why am I even back here in Konoha doing this? Of course I felt like I owed something to Minato at least, something to make up for not being there when the Kyuubi got loose, but every second of being near his son made the feeling of just getting out of here stronger and stronger.

I swallowed down the bile in my throat and covered up my discomfort with what I knew best: teasing humor.

"Oi, Naruto, so is this your girlfriend?"

My question was immediately met with snappish embarrassment and dainty denial. The Uzumaki followed up with a string of curses that would probably have Minato rolling in his grave if he were to hear, though Kushina would probably have been the one to teach him them, had she been alive.

It was fine if the boy thought I was some idiot though, better that than what I really was. Just another lie atop the growing pile that I had to hide from him. The other one, however, would see through my ruse quickly, if he hadn't already.

Kuroda Hiroki, the only son and heir to the Kuroda clan. When I had been younger there were horror stories that surrounded their clan, originally from Kirigakure, and I had the _damn_ luck to see up close and personal just what they can do. During the second war my team came across an enemy team that had a Kuroda in it. With practiced ease I saw them still my comrades' bodies, easy pickings for the enemy, force them onto awaiting blades, and snap necks with a flick of a wrist. We only got out of there alive when our genjustu user used a technique that took her life along with it; there were only two survivors from our team of twelve.

My eyes blinked when I noticed the little Kuroda staring at me. I was obviously putting on a show, pretending not to know that he wasn't a girl, and I've nearly confirmed my suspicions about this one.

From the first moment we met the look of familiarity flashed through the lilac haired boy's face. It wouldn't have caused alarm since I was such a recognizable figure if not for the fact that the child simply did not act like one. In fact, one of the first things the boy had said to me was a perfectly crafted excuse that made sure he wouldn't be sent away and at the same time targeting me for my absence, placing a black mark on me that would surely make Naruto push me away. The blonde really did seem attached to Kuroda anyway, it was no doubt that Kuroda could twist my image in a way that would make Naruto hate me.

Like any good spy master would say: stay paranoid and always be wary of the ones who don't call you out on a lie. They always had a reason for not exposing you and they were always more malicious than not.

* * *

Jiraiya then spent the following weeks with the jinchuuriki and friend, teaching the blonde the same things as he had in canon with the added complication of Hiroki noting every little thing. Naruto, though ignorant and a little thick-headed, eventually picked up on the weird fixation the two had on each other and mistook it for creepy flirting. The Sannin of course denied it, annoyed that the blonde couldn't see that he was trying to separate him and the Kuroda, and said he didn't fool around with kids. Naruto begged to differ and thus Jiraiya once again sported the nickname 'Erosennin'.

When Hiroki had the time to he went to the hospital to check up on Hinata. The girl did take a brutal beating from someone that was family and the Hyuuga rarely pulled their punches. It gave an awkward sort of relief for the lilac haired boy to see that she would be fine, if not suffer a bit of breathlessness and exhaustion every now and again.

"Are you mad?" Hiroki asked, a hand over the girl's delicate one.

He sat next to her bed, a small bouquet on the side from the Yamanaka flower shop. Hiroki was concerned for the girl, that possessiveness for things that are his rearing its head again.

Hinata gave a considering look, "Mad at what?"

"Your cousin. Neji, was it?"

The Hyuuga heiress rarely talked about her family troubles and the older boy was always spoken to in a higher light. It was almost sickeningly cute at how Hinata kept forgiving and allowing Neji to look down on her, to beat her. Hiroki hoped this experience opened her eyes to the cruelty of her cousin and her clan; if no one had intervened during her fight she would have surely died.

"I'm not angry, just...deflated. But I'm also thankful," The girl raised her head and looked at her boyfriend, her face a motley of bandages and discolored skin.

"Neji-nii-san showed me his true feelings for once, with words instead of just his actions. I understand now why he despises me so much, but it's hard for me too. I just...felt sad about my life."

Hiroki thought the girl was about to cry after her declaration, it seemed so with the way her hand trembled a little. To his surprise however, the girl kept a straight face. A little forced and tight lipped but _strong_ nonetheless. The kind of look that means this person will endure and persevere.

"What are you going to do about it, your life?" The boy asked as gentle as possible, not wanting to sound rude or overly aggressive. He was genuinely curious at just how much the girl changed.

This time, Hinata moved her hand so the two were intertwined and gave a squeeze, "In my mind, I've ended it already. I've gotten rid of the me who cowered at every little thing. I'm done feeling sorry for myself because I know it's the reason why my family resents me. Hiroki-kun I...can you promise me something?"

Hiroki was taken back by the sincerity in the girl's pale eyes. It was the first time she had ever looked this way, so confident and sure of herself like the burden's she's buried in the dirt all those years ago, the leaves that lay crumpled in the ground, were dug up and _burned_. Gone.

"Of course. What is it?"

"Promise me you'll never leave my side. I want to get better but, I can't if you're not there. Please." Her hands clenched tightly around Hiroki's hand and her sheets, a bare tremble coursing through her digits into his.

A pause from the boy, the request much more serious than he'd expected. Then, slowly as if still making his mind up, "I'll try my best, as long as you do too."

* * *

Empathy did not come easily to Kuroda Hiroki, not like anger or bitterness did. It was incredible that the woman turned child really felt anything at all considering her background. An entire life that was filled with countless disappointments, betrayal, and abuse can do that to you.

As Hiroki went searching for his sensei he thought about what he would say to him. What _could_ he say? 'I'm sorry?' Apologies mean nothing especially when one party doesn't know the whole picture, doesn't know who killed who and why. Genma wouldn't be comforted by those shallow words of condolences and definitely not with some pity show.

It was too late to think of any planning much further because before he knew it, Hiroki was only a few meters away from the bandana wearing tokujo. Perhaps it was the complexity of their current situation was what made Hiroki so inattentive, Kami knows his mind has been wandering much more lately.

"What do you want, kid?" Came a quiet voice. Genma's back was turned away from the lavender haired boy.

Said boy stepped a little closer, "...I'm sure you've heard about Mairu-chan and Tennyuu-kun?"

Immediately Hiroki went to bite his tongue. Why did he phrase that as a question? Of course Genma heard about his own students' deaths, it was pointless to ask in the first place. Stupid, stupid, stupid. At least the man turned to face him, apparently taken back by the question.

"My question still stands. What do you want?"

Anger he would have expected from the man. Grief, mourning, even guilt he would have welcomed but instead what Hiroki saw in those heavy lidded eyes were resignation. It was like looking in a mirror, Hiroki thought as he studied the man as he is now. Like looking into a mirror ten years back, seeing the same eyes on a girl with dark hair and even darker bruising. Battered and discarded, those empty eyes .

"I don't want you to," _End up like me,_ "To wallow in sadness like this. You'll just be a husk of who you were."

"Yamanaka already saw me for grief counseling, don't need it from a brat like you." Genma hissed out defensively.

Hiroki pushed on, "I'm not trying to counsel you or anything. I'm telling you that staying stuck on the past won't change anything."

"Can you just fucking drop it, Kuroda," Genma was clenching his jaw, tension lined his shoulders as he lost his temper.

"I'm telling you that I don't need whatever it is you're saying to me! You aren't even a fully fledged ninja yet, dammit! Do you even understand what's happened? Do you? Mairu and Tennyuu are _dead_. And because I failed them-"

The abrupt pause brought some relief to the tense atmosphere. Genma's fingers were curling in on themselves and Hiroki was readying himself in case the man did get violent. The boy could feel a handful of chakra signatures being alerted by their debacle and hoped that no one tried to interfere, Genma was so close to being pushed off the edge and another person wouldn't help.

"You didn't fail them, Genma-sensei." Hiroki replied quietly.

It was ostensibly the wrong answer because Genma's fervor returned even stronger, " _Do not_ call me that, Kuroda. Do not call me that ever again. This is fucked. It shouldn't be you trying to comfort me. It's all wrong, all wrong."

Genma continued mumbling even as he gathered chakra and jumped out of sight, exiting without pause or warning and leaving Hiroki alone. The boy, not bothering to chase after the brunette, looked down at his feet. For the first time in a long while, he felt the need to cry.

* * *

**Short chapter! Wasn't sure how this one would turn out but thankfully it's written and I can move on.**

**In this chapter we get to see the aftermath of Hiroki's dealings with Orochimaru and his fallout with his sensei. As you can see Hiroki instinctively blames others for his failures and guilt, never actually taking responsibility for his actions. I hope you all look forward to see how his character may (or may not) change as the story progresses.**

**More NaruHiroHina interactions! I hope to write more of them soon :)**

**As always, thanks for reading!**

_**Comments/Kudos/Bookmarks = Author Motivation = Faster Updates** _


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